|
REVIEW
|
|
Brad
Wilson
Brad Wilson
Music from Cali
Bee Music
Release date: 01 January, 2004
|
Sunset Beach is a lovely, local secret. It’s a
wonderful, beach community of about 1300 in North Orange
County that runs about
a mile long. The town is very comfortable and welcoming. I was briefly
bewildered to find the major thoroughfare didn’t have metered parking in
contrast to just about every other beach town in California. The annual chili cook-off was
held at the staging area for the 12th
Street Firehouse to raise money for local
children’s charities. There were about 15 entrants, so I got a Corona and started
tasting. My favorite was a black bean chili.
Brad
Wilson and his band provided the musical entertainment of the day. They
played a few sets between raffle giveaways and cook-off announcements. Wilson leads a trio
comprised of Devin Lebsack on drums and Michael
Cullen on bass guitar. Together, they crank out some kick ass, electric blues
and rock. Lebsack is a very proficient and
economical drummer. He keeps the songs moving along with a sure, steady beat,
allowing Wilson
to stretch out on his guitar solos, yet he never wastes a stroke. Cullen
makes a fantastic sound with his bass. With Lebsack
keeping the beat, Cullen is able to add some extra flourishes. He always
seemed like he was about to crossover into some type of intricate prog-rock bass noodling, yet he
consistently remained within the song’s confines, illustrating a great
mastery of his instrument.
The
first song I heard was “Sundown
and the Cowboy,” an infectious rocker. Wilson’s raw vocals captured the passion of
the lovers, as did the controlled frenzy of his guitar playing. "Cruisin the Coast" is a great, laid back
instrumental that recreates driving with the windows down on an open highway
as the sun sets. It was a perfect tune for kicking back on a sunny Sunday
afternoon with a beer in your hand. Brad’s versatility shined through as he
made the guitar sing slowly and sweetly.
Normally,
when they play their own gigs, they focus more on original material, but the
majority of the sets were covers since the band was supporting the charity
event, so they saw themselves as the jukebox for the party. They sized up the
mostly over-35 crowd and played a good portion of classic rock hits, such as
Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker” and Steely Dan’s “Do It Again.” They stripped
off the Latin jazz of Santana’s “Evil
Ways” and revealed the blues that is at the song’s
core. They played a rollickin’ version of “Sweet
Home Chicago.”
Hurricane
Katrina and its aftermath were still in the minds of everyone across the
country as the images of survivors and devastation filled televisions around
the clock. Without drawing attention to it, Wilson
and the band performed “Born on the Bayou” and “Sweet Home Alabama”.
It was a wonderful tribute that allowed some to reflect on the recent events
that was made even more impressive by Wilson
wisely refraining from talking about it and bringing down the mood of the
event.
Brad
is one of the most gracious and fun-loving musicians I have ever seen. He had
an infectious smile on his face the whole day. In between sets, he got no
rest and was very gracious as fans kept approaching him to pass along their
enjoyment of his work. During “Brown Eyed Girl”, some kids close to the front
of the stage began to dance and blow bubbles. While some might have been
distracted and annoyed that attention was shifted slightly, he continued
smiling and played his heart out. Wilson
even made event announcements without any hesitation or rock star pretense.
If
you enjoy going to your local bar and listening to some great blues
music, I highly recommend that you go to see Brad Wilson and his band
when they come to your town. Their latest string of dates sees them
touring California.
|
