The Swamp Gospel, Eddy Bear and the Cubs and the Time Crashers at the Double Down Saloon, Saturday June 27, 2015

This is another gig that my band, the Swamp Gospel, arranged and opened for and had a fine time saving souls, drinkin' strychnine, layin' hands and preachin' the blues. Thank you once again to Nikki Ruffing for the cool photos!

Up next were our pals, Eddy Bear and the Cubs, the honky-tonk combo who I have ranted'n'raved about numerous times before. They ran through a bunch of their best upbeat C&W, from "Little Sister" to "Turn Me On, Turn Me Loose" to "Long Black Cadillac" to "I'm the Bulge in Satan's Pants" to "Ooh Las Vegas". There were some newer numbers, as well, including one stand-out whose name I didn't catch that had an excellent bluesy break highlighted by Wade's slide guitar. As a guitarist, its always a pleasure to hear Wade play, but everyone was in fine form and the vocals harmonies from Erik and Larry were top-notch, as well. Truly a superior group all around and always a treat to watch.

The time travelin' heroes of punk rock, the Time Crashers, appeared next on this varied bill, entertaining the crowd with their tales of the space/time vortex. Apparently, their second guitarist, Francisco Pizarro, seems to have been lost in the continuum and did not appear this evening. But still Tesla led the remaining gents - Caesar (bass), DeVinci (guitar) and Carl Sagan (drums) - through songs from their EP/CD Chronal Displacement (which I reviewed as the Bootleg From the Future before it was officially released) along with some newer numbers and even bits from Argent's "God Gave Rock'n'Roll To You"! Always a fun time - catch them when you can (next up at the Dive Bar on July 10, reportedly the last show for Caesar before he returns to ancient Rome).