Sunday, April 13, 2008

Mr Myers - Hemmingway's Port Of Call, Lake Geneva, Wi 4.12.08

I was up last evening in Zenda (yes, Zenda) and I thought I'd drop by Hemmingway's Port of Call - South of Disorder Bar in Lake Geneva and catch a group I've seen several times but never blogged about; Mr Myers. This time it wasn't the whole band. It was the steel pan player, Todd Donnelly, drummer Mike and bassist Alex.

If you haven't been to Hemmingways, you should check it out. It's got that Jimmy Buffett/tropical feel and it's always a fun place. It wasn't packed last night but there was a good group for Lake Geneva in the winter - yes, WINTER - it was freakin snowing outside!

I like all kinds of music. I can appreciate just about anything anyone puts a band together to perform. I am not a huge Buffett fan but I like what these guys do. I also saw a guy in there I blogged about a couple a weeks ago sitting at the bar who I saw up at Key Lime Cove.

The trio performs Buffett music, calypso and most anything with a tropical bent. Todd has a great voice. The drummer harmonizes very well. They are all very good players. But then again, this band has been around for a very very long time and is a very professional outfit so nothing else could be expected.

One of the things I really like that they do is something I'll be blogging about soon as a topic. They do their own versions of the songs they choose to do. True, it's a trio with no guitar, keyboards, horns or other players and you'd have to do your own version. That's not what I mean. They do many of the songs in a different tempo than the original is known at and they perform their vocals in their own way. In other words, instead of doing the song modeled very closely to the recorded version, they make the song their own. That is a concept few bands seem to grasp. Put your own flavoring in the mix. Do it your way.

Anyway. This is a fun trio of professionals and I don't care if you're a heavy metal fan or a country rock fan, this is a great getaway place and Mr Myers plays great getaway music. Please check them out this spring and summer! http://www.mrmyers.com/ Also, check out Hemmingways! http://74.53.30.200/sodb/

Also, check out the full band. They too will impress the guacamole out of you!

After a few beers here, I went back to McHenry County and caught Eleventh Hour.

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