By Kristine Wales
On Friday, November 4th, my show-going experience took a complete 180 degree turn. I am usually an attendee of punk and alternative rock shows, but on Friday night, I was afforded a cool opportunity to see three great bands. Each offered different degrees of folk, roots, and country. Harlan Pepper was celebrating the re-release of their debut CD, (they moved to a different record label), so it was a fun night.
1st Band: The Folk Sinners
A mellow folk and roots band of five, they got the evening started off well. I don’t know if they are new band, but they had their music books and notes in front of them. Not picking. They sounded terrific. It was just something I noticed. (A fun fact: One of the men in this band is a father to one of the guys in Harlan Pepper.)
10 out of 10.
2nd Band: The Dinner Belles
This was a band I was curious to see. I had heard a lot about them, and I had wondered why they had gotten so much press. I now have my answer. This band, all seven of them!, perform country the way it’s meant to be. I’ll admit, sometimes, it got a little too ‘yee haw’ for me. But all in all, I see why they get the hype they do. They were fantastic.
9 out 10.
3rd Band: Harlan Pepper
Ah, the men of the hour. They were very edgy country. Lots of their stuff was hard, and reminded me of old, cool Led Zeppelin. They mixed country, folk, blues, and roots to create something worth keeping an eye on. Nicely, nicely done for 4 guys barely old enough to drink.
10 out of 10.
(Photo by Kristine Wales)
