Sounds Good: Stoney LaRue@Granada, Quiet Corral@Bottleneck, Ol’ Yeller@Replay, Alabama Shakes@Uptown

Jimi Hendrix released a new album a few days ago called People, Hell and Angels.  Well, Jimi’s estate released it anyway.

It’s made up of mostly unreleased studio recordings of the legendary guitarist in his prime.  My question is, “Do we really need another Jimi album?”

Or maybe the more appropriate question is, “Do Jimi’s heirs really need money that bad?”

Perhaps.  

All the tracks on the new album have been released before, mostly in different versions by unscrupulous music biz people who didn’t have the Hendrix family’s permission to do so.

So these stripped down studio recordings are certainly more authentic to Jimi’s vision than many out there that were overdubbed, pieced together, and packaged for mass consumption.

But in the end, the record adds little to Hendrix’s legacy that isn’t already there and will interest mostly hard-core collectors rather than just plain fans.

Thursday, March 7th

 Stoney LaRue at the Granada in Lawrence

Lots of Red Dirt riders at the Granada lately and I’m not complaining.  Over the weekend, word is Robert Earl Keen packed the joint.  A couple weeks back Jason Boland moseyed through town.  Now Oklahoma boy LaRue is swinging by with tales of booze and heartbreak.  Boland skews a little more mainstream country than some of his peers, but he still has the outlaw spirit.  He reminds me a little of Texas troubadour, Pat Green, but a bit more interesting.

Friday, March 8th

Quiet Corral at the Bottleneck in Lawrence

Last time I saw these guys was at the Granada after the band had weathered an endless road trip and they played a solid show. But I caught some flak for comparing one of their songs to the Barenaked Ladies.  It wasn’t meant as a put-down – I mean, those goofy Canadians were nominated for several Grammys and have sold over 15 million albums – just a comparison.  I digress.

This show will be cool because the first time I saw Quiet Corral was actually at the Bottleneck opening for Noise FM.  This go around, the tables are turned, with the Noise boys filling the early slot.  It really says a lot about how far QC has come since then.  Don’t believe me?  Come out and see them off as they tune up for several big shows at SXSW next week.

Saturday, March 9th

Ol’ Yeller, Arthur Dodge & the Horsefeathers at the Replay in Lawrence

Ol’ Yeller is a Minnesota roots rock band that reminds me a little of a more countrified Buffalo Tom.  Simple, solid, and happy to paint inside the lines.  Here’s what Tony Bennett of the Duluth News Tribune had to say:

“Frills, you ask?  Hardly any.  Guitars, bass, drums, vocals. A very low-power trio. Once every so often, there will be a xylophone tinkling in the background, maybe a shaker hissing away on a chorus, but this band is very meat and potatoes. Same with the songs-two chords, three chords, maybe a fourth. Couple that with some honest lyrics and a nice melodic hook, and that’s it. That’s what he does in his other band, The Tisdales; in his other band, Junkboat; and in whatever else he’s doing on any particular day.”

Sunday, March 10th

Alabama Shakes at the Uptown in KC

For a band that has been around for only a couple years, has one album to its name, and a singer that I initially thought was a dude, the fact that this show sold out in about 2 seconds is pretty cool.  So you’re going to have to either sneak in or pay a pretty penny if you want to catch one of the hottest acts going right now.

The band is fronted by the finger-picking, growling and howling Brittany Howard, a big southern girl that gives the band a much different look and feel than lots of other artists on the scene.  And their sound is a throwback mix of blues, soul, and rock that just isn’t really in the mainstream right now – except for these guys.

Their rise has been nothing short of explosive, going from playing little bars for next to nothing to big venues and summer festivals.  I mean, this summer they’re opening for Bruce Springsteen in the UK.  So there’s that.