I don’t know if any of you have heard of any of these bands, but Minus 5 is one of my favorites, and they’re on tour! Minus 5 is a rock/power-pop sort of band, Tuatara is more world-music, Wayward Shamans sounds to be a kind of jazz-rock sort of band, and Cedell Davis is a Legendary Bluesman [sup]tm[/sup]. They’re playing tiny venues, and from what I hear, the crowds haven’t been substantial for any of the shows yet. For you R.E.M. fans (okay, that should be “WE”), Peter Buck (guitarist for R.E.M.) and Scott McCaughey (who played with them on their last two tours) are in both Minus 5 and Tuatara. McCaughey is also the driving force behind Young Fresh Fellows.
Mr. Legend and I took a friend to the show in Albuquerque Saturday night, and paid $12 to see four very good bands. Buck, McCaughey, and drummer Barrett Martin wandered outside before the show to do an acoustic set on the sidewalk, which was a lot of fun, and then we all went back in for the actual show. Wayward Shamans were good, although a little too lite-jazzy for my taste, Minus 5 rocked the house, Tuatara took it to a different level, and Cedell Davis finished the night out with some good old-fashioned blues. The man plays slide guitar with a butter knife - it has to be seen.
For those who are interested, here are the rest of the dates on the tour. I don’t usually proselytize for bands, but this show is so good, I can’t stand the thought that more people haven’t heard about it.
JULY
22 Boulder-Fox Theatre (cap. 625)
24 Minneapolis-First Avenue (cap. 1200)
25 Chicago-The Metro (cap. 1100)
26 Detroit-Majestic Theatre (cap. 1000)
27 Philadelphia- Theatre Of Living Arts (cap. 620)
29 New York-Knitting Factory (cap. 400)
30 New York-Knitting Factory (cap. 400)
31 Boston-The Paradise (cap. 650)
AUGUST
1 Wa DC-9:30 Club (cap. 1200)
2 Chapel Hill-Cat’s Cradle (cap. 650)
3 Atlanta-Variety Playhouse (cap. 1000)
4 Asheville, NC-Asheville Music Zone (cap. 820)
5 Athens-Georgia Theatre (1000)
7 New Orleans-House Of Blues (cap. 900)