E-mail Me! Click Here!
Louisville Music News.net
January 1993 Articles
Cover Story
Allen Howie
Features
Paul Turner
Don Watson
Paul Moffett
Paul Moffett
Paul Moffett
Columns
Berk Bryant
Jim Galipeau
Paul Moffett
Earl Meyers
Keith Clements
Todd Hildreth
CD Reviews
Bob Bahr
Dave Regneri
Bob Bahr
Kory Wilcoxson
Allen Howie
Bob Bahr
Bob Bahr
John Goodin
Steve Estes
Michael Campbell
Allen Howie
Cary Stemle
Kory Wilcoxson
Performance Reviews
Bob Bahr
Allen Howie
Paul Turner
Rob Frayser
Jean Metcalfe
Pete Strojny
Interviews
Paul Turner
Calendar
Staff
News Item
Staff
Preview
Staff
Book Review
Jean Metcalfe
Opinion
Paul Turner
Staci Core
Jean Metcalfe
Photos
Staff
LASC
Staff
Staff
Staff
Ray Yates
Jean Metcalfe
Staff
Paul Moffett
Staff
Staff
Paul Moffett
Bookmark Louisville Music News.net with these handy
social bookmarking tools:
del.icio.us digg
StumbleUpon spurl
wists simpy
newsvine blinklist
furl blogmarks
yahoo! myweb smarking
ma.gnolia segnalo
reddit fark
technorati cosmos
Available RSS Feeds
Top Picks - Top Picks
Top Picks - Today's Music
Top Picks - Editor's Blog
Top Picks - Articles
Add Louisville Music News' RSS Feed to Your Yahoo!
Add to My Yahoo!
Contact: contact@louisvillemusicnews.net
Louisville, KY 40207
Copyright 1989-2024
Louisvillemusicnews.net, Louisville Music News, Inc.
All Rights Reserved  


Issue:January 1993 Year: 1993
this one <

Blue Rodeo

Does the Clinton administration know about this?

Blue Rodeo looked all the world like an alternative power source at their December 9 show at Tewligans Tavern. The music they were producing was straight-ahead rock 'n' roll with a rural feel. But what made Blue Rodeo remarkable -- and they were remarkable -- was the palpable energy created during their extended set.

It seems that better than 80% of the bands that take the stage are a mere collection of guys that meet their cues. The songs bind them together. Blue Rodeo is of the 20% with that elusive quality called "chemistry" that makes rock 'n' roll live and breathe. Individual solos succeeded because the whole band set them up, goaded them along, or had the sense and respect to let them roll on their own. And what a treat it was to hear soloists with something to say.

The rhythm section -- Bazil Donovan on bass, Glenn Milchem on drums and the talented Bob Wiseman on keys -- were tight, hot and alive. Milchem is a drummer capable of playing distinct melodies on his set, and Donovan managed to make even simple country bass lines interesting and invigorating. Wiseman came off like a wizard when his keyboard was set to emulate a Hammond B-3 organ, and he otherwise ran down lines with gratifying fluidity and creativity. Tasty work from an added pedal steel guitar gave the backbone another dimension. How can a band go wrong with this cultivated fire beneath it?

Frontmen Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor didn't let the other guys down, delivering guitar work with textural variety and considerable taste. Vocally, Cuddy and Keelor offer two different approaches: Cuddy has a traditionally soaring rock tenor, while Keelor plays the dark side with a slightly nasal, lower range sneer in the fine tradition of Dylan via Tom Petty.

Lyrically, Blue Rodeo seemed to hedge their bets a little bit; the words strove for the beauty that the music easily achieved. They fit, but the sentiments were forgettable. But keep in mind that many bands have gone much further with much less.

The Tewligans show was a powerful statement of engaging, country-tinged alternative rock within a retro, throwback context. A twang-drenched ballad would follow "Where Are You Now," with its '70s rock familiarity. A country pop tune with all the catchiness and simplicity of the Cars would melt into "Lost Together," an epic-like song of tempered hope. And because it was perfectly mixed, Blue Rodeo's show was good to the last note

Bookmark and Share