Old Union/ Last Straw

This weekend was a fun weekend for shows. Although it was bands I see on a regular basis, the circumstances were unique thus making the shows different. Friday night was the Old Union and Last Straw co-headlining gig at The Mercy Lounge.

I have recently started working with Last Straw as their light guy. The last time I saw them play a show it was opening for Old Union. I believe I said something along the lines of "They were a band that heard O.U. and said they could do that too". I guess that's what happens when I catch a half a song from the bar and the rest of the set from outside. Although this show was a complete blur and I don't really recall any of it due to the extreme focus it took to operate a light rig I had never used before, I can say it was better than just Old Union wannabes. These guys are the real deal. Their dual guitar attack and solid drummer are just a couple of the parts that make the whole great. I love a good slide player and the lack of any Fender products always gives a band points with me. They write great rock songs and jam them out live like a band possessed. Due to the fact that I'm going to be working for them, I probably won't write much more about them but I wanted to give them the props they deserve.

Old Union played yet another jewel. After fixing a broken kick drum head in the third song, their set rolled on and rocked us out. It was pretty much another run-of-the-mill O.U. show, which have become consistently awesome. Johnny Z and Spotty Dog are great guitar players and J Dub plays the hell out of that bass and on and on. I will say that these guys need to take the next step. They belong in front of a much bigger crowd. If their satisfied with playing for 60 people in a club then, in the words of Bobby Brown, that's their prerogative. But with a little luck and work, they should be touring and hitting the festivals and playing for the masses. I'm not one to share a good secret thing, but these guys need to hit the big scene. As far as I can tell, they have everything it takes, except maybe for that annoying aggressive "won't take no for an answer" attitude that distinguishes the good from the successful.