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| photo by p.dunkley |
"Step into the unknown
Where your path rewinds
See if you can find out
What you came here for"
“Roots rock” is a popular buzz word right now, which
essentially means – good ol’ fashion country. Not the country pop that now plays
heavily on the airwaves, but good ol’ honky tonk “roots rock.” That’s the showcase New Noise
created Sunday night.
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| photo by p.dunkley |
Honey Honey opened up the show. The duo is made up of Suzanne Santo
(vocals/banjo/violin) and Ben Jaffe (vocals/guitar/drums). Together they create
a soulful alternative country sound that would now be called “roots.” The duo,
with tour support, cutely bantered with each other between heart wrenching
ballads. The lyrics were dark, but relatable, and the blues just drew you in. I
fell in love and got my heart broken just a little.
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| photo by p.dunkley |
The headliner, Ryan Bingham, is an American roots rock
singer/songwriter – you may have heard his song “The Weary Kind” in the film Crazy Heart. It did quite well. A
respectful cat too, when a lady in the crowd yelled out “are you single,”
Bingham firmly replied “no ma’am.” The shy
singer stayed underneath a 10-gallon hat the entire show, but his bar hall
raspy voice filled the Lobero. The music was compelling and dark, with plenty
of twangy slide guitar and simple jazz drum beats. Any one of his songs could
have been a personal anthem.
It’s good to visit our roots sometimes.
