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Hobex/Countdown Quartet... |
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LIVE REVIEWSLive from Tobacco Road: Shows in and around North Carolina |
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This year's Big Barn Dance in Hillsborough featured an excellent lineup of local bands, including Hobex, the Countdown Quartet, and Chicken Wire Gang. The scene was surreal--this lodge in small town North Carolina was packed with forty-somethings grooving to swing revival, honky tonk, and alterna-funk. There was even a raffle for a silver cowboy hat. The event had the vibe of some kind of twisted rock and roll revival. After a set by Chicken Wire Gang, the Countdown Quartet took the main stage. The band featured Squirrel Nut Zipper Jimbo Mathus on guitar. Unlike the Zippers's anachronistic mix of New Orleans jazz, swing, and alt-pop, the Countdown Quartet is straightforward swing revival (à la Big Bad Voodoo Daddy). Despite the poor acoustics at Daniel Boone Village, the band got the crowd's collective feet moving with an uplifting set. Following the Countdown Quartet, an ad hoc group of musicians that included Jimbo Mathus gathered in the bar for some shots of honky tonk. Hank Williams, Senior, possessed Mathus's body as he plucked his guitar and poured his soul into a vintage microphone. One highlight was the group's rendition of "Do Right Woman--Do Right Man." Former Dillon Fence front man, Greg Humphreys, then took the main stage with his band Hobex. The band delivered a powerful set of alterna-funk. Hobex played many tracks off their Payback EP and their full-length Back in the 90s album. The band's studio recordings are good, but this live performance was great. The addition of two percussionists to Hobex's lineup helped the band flesh out their sound and gave their rhythm section an added punch. Hobex treated the crowd left over at the end of the show with a handful of covers, including Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" and Sly & the Family Stone's "I Wanna Take You Higher." If you live in the Triangle, you've got to catch the next Big Barn Dance. Words can't capture how wonderfully surreal this event is. So, go see it for yourself. If you don't live in the area, check your local listings for these bands playing in your hometown. Hobex, especially, is worth the price of admission. Andrew Helminger
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