Greg Culp - Broken Oar 10.6.07

Greg Culp is a single one-man-band act who was playing outside at the Broken Oar. It was an exceptionally hot week end and great weather for playing outside.

Greg Culp has a great voice. He's good. My only issue is that he certainly sounded like he was using stock karaoke tracks to play along with. There is simply something cheesy about the sound of most karaoke tracks. A good number of these one-man-band acts use karaoke tracks.

It's not easy doing a single act gig. You have the "Village Squire" types which to me is just plain boring. However, in places like the Village Squires, the performer is not meant to be entertainment. You're meant to be background noise. You have the piano bar types who usually need to be pretty sophisticated in their musical training. You also have the very good singles ... Dave Sarkis for instance. Sarkis doesn't need background to be entertaining. You then have this newer phenomenon; the one man band.

All in all, most one man band acts are boring because there is only one person standing there to watch. The other issue is that the backing tracks are non-exciting and if the karaoke tracks are all purchased from the same provider, they sound homogeneous and uninspired. In some ways, this makes the one man band act nothing more than LOUDER background music.

Greg Culp is good. I only wish the backing tracks were more exciting.

The Wiggle-Os - Broken Oar 9.1.07

I was going out for a drive Saturday and I had done my normal scoping of the band listings for the area and noticed that the Wiggle-Os were at the Broken Oar. Hell. It's a Saturday afternoon. Who the hell has a gig on a Saturday afternoon. Thinking that the Oar was probably inaccessible because of the flooding I stopped by anyway to see if they might still be playing and have a beer or two.

I had no idea it was Alex and Buddy of Alex and the All Stars. It was a pleasant surprise. They sounded good. Alex played just a little guitar and of course, she has the great voice. Buddy sounded absolutely great on acoustic guitar. The guy can really play. They mainly did acoustic versions of what they do on the full-band gig.

It looked like they were pretty much just messing around but they did have an agenda and they actually sounded just fine as a duo. Maybe something can happen with this? Maybe we'll see.

Good job you two. There is a lot going on out there that isn't as good as you were Saturday. Keep going.

Frank and Dave - Broken Oar 4.28.07

Well, I just got home from checking out some bands and after feeling like I got clubbed like a baby seal last night by Wedding Banned at Duke O'Brien's, and it was a welcome breath of fresh air to see Frank and Dave. http://frankanddave.com/ I fully recommend that you go out of your way and check out this mostly acoustic duo. They do all things acoustic from the Who to The Wallflowers to new stuff and they are just plain excellent. They have obviously put a lot of time into their vocals and harmonies and it pays off. I'm not a huge fan of their bass/drum looping sound but it's overshadowed by their music ... and that's the way it should be. They are GREAT and there isn't much else to say. They are good players. They don't have much of a show but again, their music completely speaks for itself. Make an effort to see these guys!

Joey Derus Band - Broken Oar - 4.14.07

I went to the Broken Oar to check out Joey Derus thinking I was seeing the solo act. I saw the three-piece band. Let me first say that I've always had a thing about bands that go by the name of the one star performer. I don't think I could be a member of a band that goes by the name of one of the other members unless that guy (or woman) is one hell of a great player/singer/performer.

Joey Derus is OK. Just OK. He sings alright and is a good guitar player. The drummer I thought was just as proficient on his instrument as Derus was on his and the bass player was good. Harmonies were not all that strong. There was a wait in between each song. There was two-way banter in between songs where each participant was stepping on the other to such a degree that you really didn't know what anyone was talking about. There was no real "show".

Don't get me wrong. They were entertaining but in that "roadhouse band" kind-of way. The song selection was eclectic and I think, could have been better. Some bands are content with playing smaller venues and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. However, some bands just aren't going to get beyond that ... and don't especially plan on getting beyond that. I think this outfit is a small venue kind of a band and again, more power to them. I was not real impressed .. they were entertaining ... but as for myself, I won't make huge efforts to see them again although, if I happen to stop in a place to see a band and they're there, I'll hang out for a while. http://www.allloopedup.com/JDB/index.html