Posted by MPB:

Does P-man even need pinch bloggers anymore? Methinks not. Ever since the summer began, he has been blogging quite prolifically. However.... seeing as he doesn't get out much anymore, I thought I'd blog in my two cents about happenings outside of the silver screen, so hear ya go...

Friday night I paid homage to drunken debacles past and went to see Reckless Kelly at the Bluebird in Denver. These guys used to play all the time in Austin, one of those bands you could probably see three nights a week if you were so inclined. And, as I had seen them a few times in Austin, they hold a certain nostalgia for me, as do many things Austin (Trudy's mexican martinis, the Greenbelt, and Barton Springs to name a few).

I'll be honest, they aren't a great band, but they are a good band, and they play loud and usually throw in cool covers. A local Denver band called the Railbenders opened up for them. I had seen them before, and enjoyed that show as well.

So, right off the bat, I noticed that the lead singer for the Railbenders was sporting a Reverend Horton Heat shirt. Nothin wrong with that. I had forgotten that they had sort of a rockabilly twist to some of their songs. They also have an upright bass thats painted bassboat red. Nothin wrong with that either. I also learned that the band members own this bar in Denver called Bender's (never made the connection). Bender's is distinguishable by its huge freakin mural of Johnny Cash on the outside of the bar. Mark that as three checks for this band before they even launched into the first song. Perhaps their most endearing trait is that they are unabashed rip-off artists. They have a song called "Whiskey Rain" thats alot like Willie Nelson's "Whiskey River", another song called "I-70 Westbound" thats pretty similar to Pat Green's "Southbound 35", and yet another song called "Southbound" that sounds alot like the Reverend. Perhaps their greatest contribution: a country cover of "Sweet Caroline". To be honest, they don''t get bogged down with "originality" or "artistic expression", they focus on the important things, like putting on a good show and keeping the crowd happy. I respect that.

To be honest, the Railbenders sortof stole the show. I went to see Reckless Kelly dredge up some Austin nostalgia but was successfully sidetracked by the Railbenders (pun intended). As for Reckless Kelly, they were only ok in my opinion. There were a few high points, including a cover of "Revolution" by the Beatles, but they never seemed to dominate the stage. Or maybe I had too many shots of Jack washed down with PBR (both were on special) by the time they came on (which is entirely possible).

In the end, I think the group I was with all had a whiskey-soaked good time. I lost my wife somewhere between the concert and my house (which is walking distance from the Bluebird). She came home to find me passed out on the rug in front of the front door snuggling with our basset hound Chloe. I think that says alot about how much fun I had.

So if the Railbenders are playing near you, go see them... and leave music snobbery at the door (they do own a bar with a Johnny Cash mural on the side).

-MPB