Randy Rogers

Callie has some comments on the busy night last night, including the Randy Rogers show.

We didn't expect to get out of Reliant in time to catch Randy at the Firehouse, but both teams ran the ball so much that the game fairly well flew. We got to the Firehouse in time to see the tail end of the opening band (and an annoying Elvis impersonator).

I've seen Randy Rogers 3 times now -- the other two times being unusual venues (a Texans pre-game, and Greek Bros restaurant). He definitely had a more serious musical crowd last night, and he really seemed to play off it. I dont' think I've ever seen the guy look happy before while playing. But why wouldn't he look happy? He had a busy venue (busier than for The Great Divide a few weeks ago), fans who knew his music, and a tight sounding band backing his great vocals.

I'm listening to his Live At Cheatham Street Warehouse cd at the moment, which I picked up at the show last night, and it's just amazing how much better he's gotten since cutting that early (almost demo) cd. Texas music fans really ought to own a copy of his followup CD, (produced by one of our favorites, Scott Melott). It's just a shame we didn't manage to record a bootleg of the show. Not sure if this is a regular thing because we haven't managed to see Randy regularly, but he did a mean, mean version of the song "Dallas" written by Jimmie Dale Gilmore and popularized by Joe Ely, really showcasing the band.

It's so rare to find a good songwriter who also features a hot, tight band. If the crowd at the Firehouse was any indication, he's starting to become a little better known. I hope he continue to build his audience, because it's some good stuff -- and a whole lot better than some of the "Bock-Drinking" Texas music (I love that term, but it's not mine) being produced by so many bands. Not that Randy's stuff isn't good for pounding down a few Bocks, as I can verify from last night. :)

[Posted at 17:27 CST on 12/08/02] [Link]