Photo by C. Rotolo (Rick Barry @ The Saint)
The Ohio by way New Jersey-based Americana-Rock collective, Red Wanting Blue, returned to Asbury Park on Saturday evening to its favorite seaside haunt, The Saint, performing a captivating set that ran well into Sunday morning and spanned the outfit’s vast catalogue (seven full-length releases in the past 12 years) including a number of tunes from the group’s 2012 collection, From The Vanishing Point, which dropped on January 6th, including such numbers as the band’s ode to blow, “Cocaine,” and the record’s lead single “Audition,” which you can download below:
Joining Red Wanting Blue was Rick Barry & The New Rick Barry’s, an All-Star band of sorts that would never take credit for being named such a supergroup, fronted by the aforementioned penman of SIMGE’s Best song of 2011 (“Annie In Stereo”), who was supported by Keith McCarthy (Asbury Blues) on lead guitar and lap steel, Justin Borneman (No Wine For Kittens) on Bass, Andy Bova (No Wine For Kittens) on the throne, and Sally Boyd on keys.
The outfit opened with a blank stare as members of the congregation at the foot of the stage attempted to coach the rowdiest and most boisterous of the venue patrons on proper etiquette when attending a Rick Barry-fronted musical showcase with a series of hisses and shouts of “SHUT THE FUCK UP!” But to little avail, as most of the prodding fell on buzzed and disorderly ears.
Barry and friends eventually ran through a seven song-set riddled with cuts from the songwriter’s 2006 sophomore full-length release, Declaration Of Codependence, including such tunes as “Recondite Recollection,” “Vixen,” and “Necessary Sonnet,” the latter going out to the late Whitney Houston, which the penman prefaced with a humorous warning of the driest manor to the raucous assemblage proclaiming “This whole song is a moment of silence to Whitney. If you talk during this song that means you hate her and you’re glad she’s dead.” And, apparently, many of the show goers on hand didn’t care for The Bodyguard.
Performed alongside those selections was Barry’s sullen and melodious 2011 single “A Cautionary Tale,” and an impressive rendition of The Smiths “There Is A Light That Never Goes Out,” which you can see below:
Come out to The Saint on March 18th with to see Barry alongside the Thunder Mountain Band, Outside The Box, and Arlan Feiles for the Songs For A Cure Showcase, a benefit for the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University.
Photo C. Rotolo (James Arlowe @ The Saint)
Opening the evening was Freehold’s own soulful Blues-Rock collective James Arlowe & The Ruffian Circus. A large flock of show goers who came early to see the local buzz band who proceeded to wow the crowd sizzling six string pageantry amongst such tunes as “Letter To Caroline” and “Oh White Devil,” staples of the of the group’s self-titled debut EP.
Be on the lookout for James Arlowe & The Ruffian Circus’ forthcoming full-length record, which the band announced a name, The Insignificant Fire, and a tentative release period, late May/early April, for during its performance. Be sure to catch the band at Captain Hook’s in Seaside Heights this Wednesday evening for a set of original tunes amidst the outfit’s vast array of cover tunes, and again on Saturday night at the Shark Finn Inn in Forked River, NJ.
Speak Into My Good Eye 