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One Little Tater Gets Left Behind
If you were unfortunate enough to live in Seattle, AND you missed the "Half Brothers Holiday Show" last night at Theatre Off Jackson (and there were many of you who did), you should commence with the self butt-kicking right about -- now, and pray - on your knees - that they elect to turn this into an annual holiday tradition, because if this was really a "once in a lifetime event", you are going to need to be doing the kicking for quite a while to atone for your transgression.
I'm not sure exactly how the "brothers" - local theatre musical (as opposed to musical theatre - very different sort of beast) guitar stalwart Rick Miller, along with "Awesome" band-mates John Ackermann (mandolin) and Dr. David Nixon, PhD. (banjo) - characterize themselves, but for my money "punk bluegrass in a humorous vein" seems only marginally adequate. With a style rooted in traditional bluegrass arrangements, yet fractured by a quirky sensibility (I mean, Bill Monroe or Ricky Skaggs, or heck, even Allison Kraus are just not about to do covers of Hall & Oates or Pink Floyd tunes, are they?) these guys have the technical chops no question, so you just know that anybody who can straight-facedly use the word, "bioluminescence" in a song lyric (while at the same time their audience is howling with laughter) is going to have a pretty unique take on the classic American musical genre.
And last night's show was made even more memorable by the addition of several "special guests", not the least of which being fellow "Awesome" member John Osebold, who contributed a solo set consisting of a typically ideosynchratic retrospective of his musical oeuvre. Also featured were Harvey Danger frontman, and ex-Long Winters vocalist (not to mention seemingly ubiquitous music/theatre - again NOT the same as "musical theatre" - bon vivant) Sean Nelson, "Miss Mamie Lavona" herself, Amber Wolf, a tap-dancing Val Moseley, along with cameos by Kirk Anderson, Rob Witmer, Sarah Roberts, and someone in a bear suit.
I spent most of the evening with a decidedly stupid, shit-eating grin on my face, while the thought periodically entered my brain that, "Dang, I hang out with some amazingly talented folks! I am so LUCKY!" Of course, the beer probably contributed slightly to the feeling of euphoria, but regardless, it was one of those moments when you just know, way down in the deepest chambers of your coronary muscle, that the world is truly a Good And Wonderful Place, inhabited by Angels In Human Form.
And I'm not even religious.Labels: "Awesome", Half Brothers, Harvey Danger, Miss Mamie Lavona, The Long Winters, Theatre Off Jackson
Posted byCOMTE
on 2:59 PM
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