Fuzz Solow, Jinxy Bear and Whiskey Breath at the Hard Hat Lounge Friday May 9, 2014

The Hard Hat Lounge is quickly becoming a fave hang for me - while kinda in the middle of nowhere, it is easy to get to, the people working there are all super cool, the drinks are reasonable and the food is great! Not to mention that they will have hip shows like this one once in a while!

So, this was another gig where I opened, but right after me came the mighty Fuzz Solow. I've ranted'n'raved about this one-man band a number of times and he always comes to entertain. As usual, he channels Howlin' Wolf for his opening version of "Built For Comfort", he turns Hendrix' "Manic Depression" into a new tune and he wails on his Strat - and his home made cigar box slide guitar - on originals like "Midnight Sun" and "Sinner". He plays with effects from a sweet tremelo on his guitar to creating a song with looping licks and beat box sounds so that he can walk through the audience and shake hands and pass out stickers and business cards! He came back to the stage for one more number before reprising "Built for Comfort" as the crowd cheered him on!

After that high-powered mayhem came Jinxy Bear, the man who set up the show and arranged for this cool line-up. Normally, I have seen him perform solo - and his unique guitar style adds percussion and bass to the melody all on his own - but he has been working with others now and again and this evening he brought along his friend Trevor to play leads. I was wondering if this was going to work at first since Jinx' sound is pretty full on its own, but it really did. Trevor snaked around Jinx' melodies, often playing slide with some subtle effects that never over-powered. They've done a good job of working together - it will be interesting to see how this progresses and who else ends up in Jinx's musical circle.

Closing the night was Brandon and Laum from Whiskey Breath, performing acoustically. I've seen these cats with and without the full band, but they never disappoint with their fine songs and Brandon's exceptional voice. They did their songs of drinkin', lovin' and fightin', as well as covers of David Allen Coe's lascivious "Shallow Throat" and the ubiquitous "Folsom Prison Blues" which had Ken from the All Togethers running to his vehicle to grab his banjo and join in. Ken & Cindy also helped out on "Wagon Wheel", along with the encores, as well as pantomiming/dancing to the violent "She Broke My Heart So I Busted Her Jaw" (which has gotten Brandon banned from at least one establishment without a sense of humor). Everyone was highly lubricated by this point in the evening and it seemed like this could continue through the night, but eventually the boys decided to stop so that they could continue drinking!

 

Another fab night of fun, diverse and unique original music! Glad that this groovy, old bar has decided to add to Vegas' musical heritage!