Sunday, January 22, 2012

Robert Earl Keen - The Paramount 1/21/12

Robert Earl Keen arrived in Huntington on a night that was, and I quote, "colder than a miner's ass".  I suppose that must be pretty cold because it sure felt like winter last night.  I guess it was a bit different than Texas in January.

I imagine that seeing REK in Texas must be a blast...hometown hero and all, but he and the crowd gave it their best Lone Star effort last night.  This was my first time at the Paramount and I like what I saw and heard.  The most important things to me at a show are the sound and the sight lines.  Both were excellent at this venue.  I hope they continue to book shows for those of us who may not rock as hard as we used to!

Openers The Deep Dark Woods are from Saskatchewan in Canada.  I kind of like what I heard last night although I was unfamiliar with the group up to this point.  The band has a very Americana sound that veers between a more country influenced sound and a jam band aesthetic.  The latter did become a bit of distraction towards the end of the show as they kind of did their own little version of Space.  Aside from this little misstep I enjoyed the performance and I intend to check out their music on Spotify.

Robert Earl Keen is one of the premier singer-songwriters from the great state of Texas.  He's been making records for years that show off a keen insight into the lives of everyday people and a razor sharp wit.  He often cloaks songs that are not dealing with cheery subjects in humor, more often than not with great success. His new album "Ready for Confetti" is one of his strongest and worth a pick up if you like this kind of music.

Last night's show featured several from the new album, the best of which were the title track (think Jimmy Buffett from Texas but smarter and a better writer) which has a little Island sound, and I Gotta Go.  He also played many of the songs that you would expect to hear at a Robert Earl Keen show...Corpus Christi Bay, Amarillo Highway, Gringo Honeymoon, Dreadful Selfish Crime, and of course The Road Goes On Forever.  From start to finish it was an excellent show full of great songs played by a very, very tight band.  A great example of the music that has been coming out of Texas for years.  If you are a fan of country music check and unfamiliar with Robert Earl Keen and Texas country check him out.  You won't be disappointed.

If you like what you hear think about checking out Texas Independence Day at Teminal 5 on March 3rd with Pat Green, Eli Young Band, Randy Rogers Band and the Josh Abbott Band.



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