Franks and Deans, Easter and the Swamp Gospel at the Beauty Bar, Friday Feb 17, 2017

The Swamp Gospel opened this early show on a rainy Friday night at the Beauty Bar to a fairly small though enthusiastic crowd looking to absolve their sins - past and future! If anyone got any pix of us, we would love to see them.

Next up was a reunion show of LA's Easter. I was not familiar with the combo, but they had a cool pop-punk sound with plenty of harmonies, some 70's rock tinges and even a bit of the Dead Boys here and there. They received a good response from everyone, as well.

But the night really belonged to Franks'n'Deans, with their pop-punk take on the Rat Pack. They really seemed to be particularly on this eve, rockin' the tunes with their tight musicianship and extraordinary vocal harmonies. Tunes like "Hello Mary Lou" and "Save the Last Dance For Me' took on a new life and they sped up "You Rascal You" to super-sonic speed, gave a hot reading of "Smokey Joe's Cafe" (a fave of mine that I was always interested in covering), did a sak version of "Chain Gang" as well as "Luck Be a Lady" (with hints of the Specials "Ghost Town" - part of the fun of their set is trying to pick out all of the punk shows they are referencing), "Dream Lover", "That's Life" and, of course, the perennial sing-along "Minnie The Moocher".

The lovely Nickole Muse provides a fine additional visual treat to the show as she engages the audience while showing off her burlesque skills. The crowd had grown considerably for their set and everyone dug the sights and the sounds!

Thanks to Pulsar and the Beauty Bar (shout out to soundman Danny for great audio throughout the night!) for a fun-filled Friday night! They have some terrific gigs coming up so keep a look out for this venue!