The Sammies w/Hightide Blues

Saturday night was rock'n roll night in Charlotte with an exceptional line-up at The Visulite Theatre. There was no "sitting through" an opener waiting for the headliner to start. In fact I enjoyed the Hightide Blues band tremendously! Their southern, bluesy rock, tugged at my soul-strings - American by birth, southern by the grace of god!

The raspy voice of Paul McDonald is a gift destined to tell stories of song. The "song" is provided by the very talented band members. Jonathan Pears multi-instrument talents include his Electric Guitar, Djembe, Lap Steel, and harmonica. Cragon Sims keeps time on the Bass. Scotty Rollins is one of the best drummers I have heard in a very long time. Have a listen for yourself at their MySpace page. I think you'll agree that they belong on your list!

Photo's of the hightide Blues show can be seen at this link.

Following Hightide Blues was headliner and local Charlotte band - The Sammies. The interesting thing about The Sammies for me was hearing three or four different genres of music in one band in one show. The band went from an indie sound, to classic rock, to a bluesy southern rock and ended with a punk rock sounding song! One thing is for sure, the band and the audience had a great time. The energy in the Visulite was invigorating and the band was charged!

The Sammies are:

FRANK BACKGAMMON – Vocals and guitar

BOBBY FREEDOM – Lead Guitar and vocals

CONRAD VACATION – bass guitar

DONNIE YALE – Drums and vocals

I'm guessing they use pseudonyms so we'll focus on who the band is and not who they are as individual musicians and as a result their names really aren't material. What is material is that their sound is alive, energetic, and garners broad support and appeal. Check 'em out - you'll love 'em.

Here's a link to photos from The Sammies show at The Visulite.

Cheers,

Monty

Chad Mackey Band

Friday night the Chad Mackey Band rocked the Tremont Music Hall to a smaller audience than I was anticipating. Perhaps it was because it was biting cold outside - not normal for Charlotte - but those who were there were treated to classic Chad Mackey rock n' roll as well as his country tinged ballads.

While the Tremont has really crappy lighting for photography and actually seeing the artists perform, the sound system is fairly decent and was ample for Chad's style of Rock. I thought the band sounded really good, were crisp in their play and timing.

I look forward to seeing Chad next time in a venue conscience of its lighting.

Here's a link to a few photos from the show - best I could do given the darkness of the venue.

Cheers,

Monty