Sunday, June 2, 2013

The Hilltop Crawlers & The Roaming Soldiers @ Barley House 5/31/13

So it’s Friday Night, and I have a veritable smorgasbord of music to choose from here in Dallas. Being the poor, post-grad early twenty something that I am, I decide on a free show. Me and a couple of buddies head down to Barley House, a local SMU beer garden, that frequents shows with little to no cover. Just our luck, tonight was a free night.

Never hearing of either band, I was skeptical at first, but it was suggested by a member of the DFW Deadheads Facebook group I created, so I figured it wouldn’t be all that bad. Well as far as a free show with two local blues/jam acts, I couldn’t have asked for more! I enjoyed myself so much in fact, I figured that this would be an opportunity to write a review, as well as create a new page on this blog; Local Acts. This will be among the first in this category, but I definitely won’t be the last.

So we get there, just as the music starts (my favorite feeling), grab a table, order a pitcher and enjoy the music. Now, on this particular night, the bar is pretty empty considering. Maybe 40 people not including the bar staff, needless to say it’s intimate.

The first act was The Hilltop Crawlers, a Blues/Jam band pulling influences from Classic Rock. The way I’d describe their sound is Stevie Ray Vaughn and ZZ Top, meet Derrick and The Dominoes. Of course they have a sound all their own, but they play some deep tracks from such artists as The Band, The Grateful Dead, The Doors (They played a killer version of Maggie M'gill, in honor of Ray Manzareck’s passing), and others. Upon speaking with them after the show I found out, this was only their 5th gig together as a band. Needless to say, very impressive. Here is a video I took to share with my blog-following friends!



The Hilltop Crawlers are based out of Dallas, and their members consist of Don McCann – Lead Guitar/Vocals, Eric Snead – Rhythm Guitar, and rotating members Jake Murphy - Bass, and Daniel Slatton - Drums. They are currently working on an album titled “Highway Miles” set for release by August. More info on the band can be found here.

Next up was The Roaming Soldiers. Based out of Fort Worth, their sound is Southern Rock with a hint of Blues. Think Lynyrd Skynyrd and Allman Brothers, meet Pearl Jam. Also very cool and different enough to make this a dynamic show with the HT Crawlers. The Soldiers are a little more established than the Crawlers, playing together since 2009. What I remember the most; big belting vocals, and intricate guitar solos. Not only did these guys put on a great show, they sent us home with party favors! Demo CDs and bumper stickers, not too Shabby Roaming Soldiers! Here is a video of their performance:


The band is made up of David George – Lead Vocals/Guitar, Jesse Anderson – Guitar, Bo Kjorvestad – Bass, and Brent Baker – Drums. They too are working on an album, no release date has been disclosed. More info on the band, here.

Well, it was a good night, with great music. I couldn’t have asked for a better, cooler, and mellower show to catch on a Friday with nothing better to do! Please, if you have read this far, it means you are interested in what I am offering. The only way that this thing works is if you share, share, share! I will create the content and you guys share! Also you can now subscribe to the blog via email or through an RSS feed, in addition to being available on the site, the Facebook, the Twitter… Thanks for the support guys! (And there are obviously people reading, as I needed no introduction when I spoke with the band that night. I guess I’m a local DFW Live Music scene hero!)

Leave a comment, share us, and keep jammin’ my friends!
SW

1 comment:

  1. Scott, I happened to be there with a friend and I have to agree the Hilltop Crawlers show was great!

    ReplyDelete