The Rundown, Part 3: Punks at Dan Electro’s, Blues at Fitz…It’s a Switcheroo!

This is seriously causing me some cognitive dissonance, folks. First there’s the bill at blues & jam-rock haven Dan Electro’s Guitar Bar, which is renowned for being a downhome place to see good, bluesy, funky bands — tonight’s headliners are local street-punk badasses Deathbed Repentance, garage-y punk rockers The Delta Block, and fellow punks Molotov Compromise & Riot Up Front (there’s another band called Joe Ray & Tiny Tine, but I’ve got no idea what they sound like; folk-punk, maybe?). Oh, and it’s reportedly the last show for The Ale Gore, who I like just based on the name alone.

I can’t claim to know most of the bands real well, unfortunately, but I’m a huge fan of Deathbed Repentance, in particular; they play rootsy, raw-throated story-punk, the kind that Social Distortion pretty much pioneered, but they manage to do it in a way that’s not just a ripoff of Mike Ness & co. Very, very, very cool stuff, seriously — Why Do We Even Try? is one hell of an album. 7PM, so you’d best get on the road if you want to catch the whole crew…

Now for the switcheroo bit; while the punx take over Dan Electro’s, the blues-rockers have invaded punk/ska fortress Fitzgerald’s. Today’s also the 3rd Annual Jerry Lightfoot Memorial Concert, a benefit show for Big Walter, aka “The Thunderbird”, a musician (I think, anyway) in need. There’s a bunch of good musicians playing, including Trudy Lynn, Sunset Heights, Charlie Prichard, Steve Krase, The Shadowcasters, Tommy Dardar, Rock Romano, Bayou Monster, Texas City Slim, Curtis King, Mojofromopolis, Norma Zenteno, The Blue Threads, Johnny Smith, George Kinney, Pee Wee Stephens, & Brother to Brother with Sandy Hickey. That’s a big, big pile of talented people, and any benefit for a musician is a good cause, in my book.

The bad news, though: um, the show’s already been going on for a while now, like since about 3PM. Sorry I didn’t post earlier, but I came home this afternoon & passed out ’til dinnertime… Anyway, the show should still be going on, I think, but you might want to call Fitz to see. $10, if it’s still going on…