Refreshed

The playlist says it all.  It was the annual "Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers" show at House of Blues in Las Vegas, Saturday night Sept. 3.  The tequila was smooth and the band was sharp!  Having been addicted to their music since seeing them open for John Fogerty in 2004, I seldom get to road trip to see the band. This was a real treat, well worth the travel to get there.  Met some awesome fans, who like me had traveled quite a ways to get to see this show.  The band did not disappoint!  The Sunday morning after had me wishing I had sipped my Mexican Moonshine a little bit slower, with a heavy head I wrote down details of the show that I knew others would want to know and have already been texting and e-mailing me about.  Those of us who are addicted to this band knew this would be a most special event.  It was announced recently that this "RCPM" show would be a nostalgic journey into the past and we would get "The Refreshments" debut album "Fizzy, Fuzzy, Big & Buzzy" from beginning to end, in order.  This is rare. Without asking the band themselves why that is, speculation has always been that it was preferable to Roger & P.H. that they move on to new, and grow with their music, not stand still in the past.  Roger is well known to be adventurous when it comes to lyrical content, which I think is well...refreshing. I mean, really, who wants to listen to the same music from a band over and over? We've gotten something completely different from each new album the band has recorded and it's nice to not only be surprised by what we get that's new, but also get to experience the changes the artists go through in their own lives.  These are not carefree partying college students anymore. They are grown men with families and serious responsibilities and so the band has a wonderful way of weaving the highs and lows of normal everyday life into the music that we love. "FFB&B" with two of the original four members of the previous and highly successful band, "The Refreshments", was an amazing experience. "The Refreshments", who disbanded in 1998, was rounded out by bassist Art "Buddy" Edwards and cult status guitarist Brian Blush. Those four members of the band when "FFB&B" was recorded were a unique blend of quirky and sass. Four young men who had nothing to lose, everything to gain, and had no fear of pushing the musical envelope to the limit.  They did it with class, a little attitude, and some thumbing of their noses at corporate music empires that lost at trying to make the band conform to their rules and ways of operation. "The Refreshments" walked away from that attempt at control, Roger Clyne and drummer P.H. Naffah morphed into "Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers" and have been independent ever since.  They work hard at playing rock 'n roll for us fans who can never get enough of their Americana and old west gun slinging style of music. A little south of the border quality mixed in gives us fans a nice well rounded sound that we've grown to love.  Bassist Nick Scropos and guitarist Jim "JD" Dalton now complete the four member band that has a tight chemistry that just plain works to the point of perfection.  

The first half of the show was "The Refreshments" debut Mercury album "Fizzy, Fuzzy, Big & Buzzy" and it was a real treat! Flawless from beginning to end, Roger rocked his red Converses and Hawaiian shirt adding even more nostalgia to the music.  He hasn't lost any of his spark from those younger, carefree days.  It was perfect from "Blue Collar Suicide" all the way through to "Nada".  Most of those songs get played in the regular rotation of the "RCPM" shows, but getting the album from beginning to end in order was a nice trip back down memory lane of the '90's when "Banditos" took the band to nationally known status.  The second half of the show brought out favorites from the "RCPM" newest  release of "Unida Cantina", with rockin' toe tapping tunes like "Heaven On A Paper Plate", the haunting "Marie" & tongue in cheek of "Dinero". Thrown into the mix were many all time fan favorites that we've grown to love and expect when we get our music fix from this band. "Beautiful Disaster", "I Don't Need Another Thrill", "Contraband" and the ever popular "Preachers Daughter", another song from 'freshies days, are just a few in the set list that wowed the crowd. Jason Boots joined the band on stage with his trusty trumpet for "Lemons" and "Mexico".  How they never get tired of playing the same songs night after night and still have all the enthusiasm like it's the first time, is beyond me. They are certainly consummate professionals and they enjoy giving us fans what we want to hear. I'm grateful to them for that as I usually only get two or maybe three shows a year lately, so I really appreciate that no matter how many times they play those tunes they still do it with all of the energy and vitality of a first time.  

This was my first time at "House of Blues".  Many fans have road tripped to this once-a-year show on Labor Day weekend, but I had not been able to manage it before now. House of Blues is inside the huge Mandalay Bay Casino at the south end of Las Vegas’ famous Strip.  It’s a perfect venue for a close, sweaty, loud celebration like this one.  It was packed from floor to door.  I don't have a count of how many fans were attending, but it was standing room only.  As Roger usually does at shows, he asked for a show of hands from people who were seeing the band for the first time.  Just a few hands went up, then he asked how many of us were not seeing the band for the first time and the audience erupted!  It was heavily populated by show veterans who've been following the band for years.

A heartfelt, huge thank you to the band for giving us all a little slice of heaven packed into a three hour (or so) show.  It was well worth the 1200 miles of annoying air travel to see and I'm confident the rest of the audience thought so, too, from wherever they came from.  And they gather for the concerts from everywhere; I met people there I have known from years of RCPM concerts,and see only a couple times a year.  There was much dancing, singing every word to every song at the top of our lungs (I'm still a little hoarse today) and even though a little too much tequila had me with a heavy head most of Sunday recovering, the fog is clearing and I can't help but smile at what a great time was had by all.  There's something magical about following this band. Their music is so positive, so uplifting and the energy they give out to the audience is contagious! It's impossible to leave that show without a huge smile, a renewed spirit and knowing that life is grand, love is real and beauty is everywhere!  

Visit their website at http://www.azpeacemakers.com/ for show information and to buy their music.  Sign up for the message board (Zocalo) to interact with other fans and plan your road trip. It's great fun with great people all brought to you from a great band with awesome music! Salud, Peacemakers!

I'll be back next week with more concrete information about where and when to get my latest creation "Bright Lights, Money & Show Biz, Honey".  I’m reviewing the final proof copy now, and I'm just waiting to formalize a few things before I officially release it.  Meantime, you can order "Random Encounters" and I still have a couple copies of "LifeLoveLust" I'll throw in if you order from my website http://www.lifelovelust.webs.com/

Hug somebody today!

Refreshingly yours,

~ K