Shanda and the Howlers at Saddle'n'Spurs Sunday June 24, 2018

A lot of our friends don't make the trek out to our neck of the woods, so when someone does, we make a point of supporting, especially when the band is as good as Shanda and the Howlers and the night starts at a reasonable 7:00-ish. This evening they were hosting the Vegas Blues Society's Blues Jam night in which they play a set and then help out (if need be) the jammers that follow.

The Howlers have just lost their excellent sax-man, Micah, who moved to Chi-town (they are looking for a replacement, so contact them if you're interested in playing with one of the top groups in town), so this evening they played a stripped down set with a friend (sorry, I didn't catch his name) sitting in on drums as their main man Keith continues to convalesce. They still put in a smokin' set of hot'n'cool 50's styled R'n'B, soul and blues, with tunes from their two CDs, Trouble and Hurt For Me, as well as swingin' funk'n'blues covers. Shanda always shines with her big, bluesy voice, Luke keep the bass groove groovin' and Trevor provides plenty of stingin', flashy leads and they all combine to administer some goosebumps-inducing moments. They did have another friend sit in on sax for a couple of tunes as an extra bonus and all around, they gave their usual strong performance that got the packed house up'n'dancin'.

We didn't stick around for the jam portion - one of these days we'll have to participate - but had a great time with some excellent music on our side of town. Thanks to Saddle'n'Spurs for a fun, early night!