ABC Pick

Barbara Cue, Ralph Roddenbery

Sunday, April 2, Melting Point

originally published March 29, 2006

For a band that started out as a bunch of seasoned local dudes playing NRBQ covers on the side, Barbara Cue has done much, particularly in the last two years, to cultivate a distinct style of its own. The sporadically active five-some - vocalist-guitarist William Tonks, steel guitarist John Neff, drummer Todd Nance, guitarist Paul “Crumpy” Edwards and bassist Jon Mills - showed major progress in terms of songwriting and arranging prowess with the release of the third and most recent album, 2004’s Rhythm Oil.

Incorporating influences from Burrito Brothers-style country rock to the skewered guitar edge of Television, the bandmembers seem to often operate by the seat of their collective trousers. They’ve played together more than enough that forgoing predictable setlists and directionless jams is now par for the course. However, other duties call, and those prior engagements have blocked up many members’ schedules as of late.

As one-third of Workhorses of the Entertainment/ Recreational Industry, Tonks has been busy with bandmates Rob Keller and Ben Reynolds following the release of their long awaited debut album. Nance recently returned from the Bahamas where the next Widespread Panic disc is being wrapped, and these days it’s tough to imagine a Drive-By Truckers show without the inclusion of Neff’s pedal steel licks. Tonks relates, though, that those engagements are winding down and that Barbara Cue is looking forward to dusting off the fairly self-explanatory “guitarmy” for this 6 p.m. show following Sunday’s Classic City Brew Fest.

“We recently realized that taking 14 months off as a band is way too long,” says Tonks. “We’re gonna break out the older stuff and maybe a few surprises. It’s fun to see how everyone has evolved during their time off. It’s kind of like we moved to Eastern Europe and came back, but with new accents and recipes.”

Michael Andrews

Michael Andrews

ABC Pick

Mofro, Legendary J.C.'s

Saturday, April 1, Melting Point

originally published March 29, 2006

Multi-instrumentalist JJ Grey, along with seated and mostly silent partner, slide-guitarist Daryl Hance, writes and performs cerebral Southern rock songs from a bona fide redneck perspective. A glance over the pair’s history, and there are three things that can’t help but intrigue.

For starters, JJ Grey was an accomplished, globetrotting surfer before his band became a staple on the summer festival circuit with appearances at noteworthy events like Bonnaroo, Langerado and others. When pressed by Flagpole, Grey reminisces, “Mom used to take us to the beach and I guess I just fell in love with it. Pretty soon you get in the habit - you get addicted. No matter where I am in the country, I watch weather reports and check my favorite spots.”

When not hanging 10 on the water, Grey can be found casting lines into it. An expert fisherman - having served as a tour guide in the past no less, most notably during the 2003 Jam Cruise, Grey admits he’s fond of the often-humbling experience. “I love fishing more than I do catching, unless I’m hungry,” he laughs. “It’s a break from the fantasy world that man has created, and all the other bullshit.”

The most interesting biographical tidbit? Mofro’s rural everyman music has featured accompaniment from symphony orchestras. Yes, plural. The duo recently performed with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and conductor Susan Bailey Robinson. Grey sums up the experience as, “Phenomenal. There’s something about the sound of 52 people all on the same page, at the same time," he says. "The highlight of my musical life.” This is an Apr. 1 show, but I kid you not when I report that the “Mofro ‘n’ Mo Overture,” as performed by the Slavic Radio Symphony Orchestra, can be found on A. Paul Johnson’s recent release Xtreme Classical.

David Eduardo

David Eduardo

ABC Pick

“Kenosha Kid Sells Out”

Thursday, March 30, Flicker Theatre & Bar

originally published March 29, 2006

Dan Nettles, one of Athens’ most innovative and hardest-to-pigeon-hole musicians, is once again taking his free-wheeling, shape-shifting and far-from-just-jazz-based ensemble down a new path. This comes only months after releasing the Kenosha Kid debut album Projector, which is an exposé of the band’s explorative work, putting unique music to unusual film and visual media. Nettles often rebels against having his music referred to as jazz and, given that he has fused rock, pop, experimental and free-jam guitar styles into its sound, it’s no wonder that he hankers to have Kenosha Kid recognized for the genre-melding music that it creates.

So why change tack again so quickly? “I wanted to take a break from original material,“ says Nettles. ”I think it’s funny that jazz musicians have always been performing music of their day, and at some point 50 years ago, it became this dogma that it had to be the tunes of the day. Now they cover Beatles, and if you’re really edgy, you cover Nirvana or Radiohead. So I just thought, ’Well, shit, why don’t I just do the music that I listen to?’ So it is sort of funny that it came out of that same tradition, but this is more fun and means more to me.”

And so Nettles presents “Kenosha Kid Sells Out,” in which his band presents rearranged instrumental treatments of music written by Athens musicians, to include Hope For Agoldensummer, Five Eight, the Drive-By Truckers, Modern Skirts, Vic Chesnutt, the Glands, the Possibilities, Ceiling Fan, R.E.M. and more. Nettles also aims to blend his interpretations of local music with the “Midnight ‘til Noon” slideshow, which depicts 12 hours in the life of downtown Athens, and take the concept on his annual spring pilgrimage to the Banff Center, in Canada. The first set starts at 8:30 p.m. with a possible second set at 10 p.m., audience numbers permitting.

Ben Gerrard

Ben Gerrard