Down In San Diego Way...

The trip to my brother's family was amazing. Three days of thunder and lightning and the opportunity to read New York. The kids played in the backyard and I drank coffee all morning with my hair pulled back and pined for the chance to watch baseball. Mellencamp's cd will now remind me of our wonderful trip just as Moondance did ten years ago.
My brother wished to take me out for my birthday and my present to him was to Soundwave, a club down along Mission Beach. Little did I know, my brother caught the Black Crowes there in around '98 and he was familiar with the area. Truth & Salvage Co. (or, as advertised, "Truth & Savage Co.") were on the bill and I told my brother that he'd be in for a treat.
We made our way to the venue but learned that the gig didn't start for nearly an hour later and that an opening act was coming first. We walked around and ran into a couple of the guys who were strolling outside. The smell of salt and the droning of the waves soothed the already mellow mood I was in. My brother and I chatted with the guys about their recent tour, life on the road, song writing and even farming. I walked away with a deeper appreciation for everyone's personal philosophies and thanked them again for how well I'd been treated these last six months.
The guys hit the stage around a quarter to ten and by the time they tuned and roared into "Hail Hail", the venue was packed with people. So this is what a near-hometown crowd is like, I thought. Girls danced, heads rocked and the Truth & Salvage Co. played a note-perfect fifty minute set brought raucous cheers and roars of appreciation for each song played. They covered most of the album, which included "Brothers, Sons and Daughters" with an amazing re-working of the song's bridge. The whole time, I snapped photos and thankfully the stupid camera was in fine working form. Halfway through the set, I was in for a total surprise, when, as the band broke into "Giant", Scott Kinnebrew announced to the crowd, "this song goes out to our good friend, Paul Taylor." (Aside: if I may be totally narcissistic, and why not? it's my blog for Pete's sake, that was just about the apex of my concert-going experience. Even my usually-stoic brother dug it). "Giant" plowed into their usual four-song closer and as Walker stood to sing "Pure Mountain Angel", the looks of the band showed that they were into that night and the crowd that loved their music. As Scott, Tim and Bill gathered again around the mic to back Walker's lead, this road-tested band demonstrated that, beyond the sweat-soaked shirts and looks of exhaustion and exhilaration, the Truth & Salvage Co. were there for us to give their hearts into one final song. They showed the appreciative crowd that despite the thousands of miles traveled in that damned van; for the countless nights in second-rate hotel rooms and greasy spoon dives; the time away from loved ones, girl friends and wives and home; opening for many bands that while more well-known, paled in energy and talent; that for tonight, their music was the most important thing in the world. Those eleven songs showed us who they were, as musicians and men, and that those songs, like all works of art that matter, have become bigger than they and that the real power in rock and roll comes from when entire venues filled with music-loving people understand and know that same truth.

Won't you sing it again? You bet. In my car. And my classroom. And at the next concert, the loudest in the place.

Thankfully, I was the only one who made an absolute fool of myself afterwards, back-slapping and whooping it up when I caught up with them after the set. My brother, Mr. Gibraltar in emotional composure, was knocked out by the band and the set. It's always wonderful to turn someone on to something new and thrilling, and the look on my brother's face showed that these guys had just spun his top.

Here I am now, at home, typing this while I should be creating Quarter Two seating charts and a pop quiz for my unsuspecting eleventh-graders, while T&S get ready to pull out of South Carolina for another grinding drive to the next gig. Not sure which band has nailed the best road trip music but Jackson Browne's "Running On Empty" rings pretty true, with the great line from the penultimate song, "The Load Out":

We've got to drive all night and do a show in Chicago
Or Detroit, I don't know
We do so many shows in a row
And these towns all look the same
We just pass the time in our hotel rooms
And wander 'round backstage
Till those lights come up and we hear that crowd
And we remember why we came

May this ring as true for them as it has for me. Another amazing set. Again, where's the press for these guys? Truth & Salvage Co. are the best. You owe it to yourselves. Hope to see you at the next gig.

The Coldest Winter...T&S Night Two

As Sam once said, is a summer in the city. Last Thursday night was no exception. Caught a nap before heading out west and feared a train wreck with the Bay Bridge tolls up at $6, but since I left later than I wanted, I missed the 'peak hours' and made it into Oakland (ah, Rockridge), onto the Bridge and into the city in an hour!!! What I didn't realize was that Truth & Salvage wasn't to hit the stage until 10:30 or so and I was in the Castro at 8:00. I had my camera with me and I wanted to snap a shot or two of Harvey Milk's Castro Camera and I drove through the neighborhood, humming with people all along the streets, window shopping, moving to destinations, lazily ambling or head-down-and-hoofing it. I loved being surrounded by the rainbows and the brilliant Castro Theater sign and the countless shops and restaurants. Truly a more vibrant neighborhood than the Haight, though I must claim extreme ignorance on how and where the city lives and breathes. Tons of traffic, so I didn't snap a picture and was disappointed with myself (thankfully, later in the evening, I did find that my camera wasn't charged so no shots were on for the night, anyway). I made it back to the block where the show was and grabbed a bite to eat. I didn't want to walk around by myself once the sun went down for lack of knowing where I was and it being bitingly cold, so I figured I'd grab a drink inside.
Once in, I felt like a mole; century-old, dark-stained wood and dim lighting (EPIC place - would love to catch another show there!), I stumbled downstairs and towards the stage to hear the first of two acoustic but unknown local bands (apologies). Liked what I heard and saw but figured I was cold and only a libation or few would get things going. While Cafe du Nord is home of the Swedish neighborhood (just how many Swedes made it to the City back then, anywho?), being of hearty Irish stock, it was black and tan time. No need lecturing me on being Irish and loving the "black and tan"; do your homework and you'll see that it's all good in its anti-Britness :) Turned from the bar and came across Smitty, the man who got me started in all this T&S mess :) and sat down for nearly an hour. The rest is mine but I probably would have been cool had they not even played.
The band hit the stage at eleven and plowed through a fiery set of fast-tempo'd songs (even for the slow ones). The guys were in good form, the crowd in a good mood. Where the hell were the throngs of people, though, I wondered, as it's a damned shame the room wasn't wall-to-wall with fans. Are people not reading the reviews? Reading this 'blog? :) Hearing them open for the Crowes and Steve Miller and others? WTF?
At any rate, the set:

1. Hail Hail (here we go...)
2. 101 (ahhh, I can smell the salt and eucalyptus)
3. Brothers, Sons & Daughters (GREAT beginning, Smitty crashing the cymbals)
4. Island (though not Middle Island Creek, which I requested)
5. Call Back
6. Rise Up (by now, Scott's ripping on the leads and showing more than on the album)
7. Old Piano
8. Welcome to LA (whatever you wanna find, you'll find...)
9. LGP (sweet Jesus in Heaven, Scott, you burned through this song!)
10. Charm City - one not on the record, though this one better be on the next one!
11. Heart Like a Wheel
12. Giant
13. Jump the Ship
14. She Really Does It For Me
15. See Her
16. Cowboy Song
E: Pure Mountain Angel

(I stole a setlist)

They had a great time. Jack passed around and the solos and choruses showed a band firing on all pistons. Not the album, which was polished and focussed; this night was rip-roaring, like that night was all there was going to be for T&S. Nothing to prove to anyone but everything to take from all of us. Let's put it this way: the place roared seventeen times and the greatest disappointment was hearing the guys rip into the Thin Lizzy cover as I knew the show was wrapping up. One hell of a show. Post-show is also mine. Thanks especially to Bill, Tim, Scott and Adam for some great conversation. While T&S are opening up for Big Head Todd & the Monsters later this month, it'll be during my first week back at school and tough all around to make. I don't know if I'll make the show and with that, when I'll be able to catch them again. It may be a long time, which I'm not looking forward to. Either way, it's your responsibility to check them out. Godspeed, guys, I wish you all the best. You've been just the best these last six months.

I hit home at 2:30. The next morning was tough as the kids were hitting the ceiling early but it was all good. "Daddy, did you go to a concert?" Did I ever...

Let's wrap this up: go buy Truth & Salvage Co.'s album. It'll be the best $15 you've spent on music this year. Or any. Check out the website. Support these guys. They're worth it.