Hey everybody welcome to part 2 of my coverage of the 2017 Moonrunners Music festival in downtown Chicago, I tell you what today I upgraded my phone and got a Galaxy 8 and I truly wish I had gotten it for the festival, so right now I want to once again thank Mr. Scott Mithun for the use of his videos.
Before I go any further I’m hoping I do not offend anybody but there were a few acts I simply couldn’t catch and I hadn’t gotten the chance to have any set lists turned in or I didn’t get a chance to track them down. I apologize for this in advance, I think I did the best job I could at maintaining the current two stage overlap. It’s NOT EASY doing all what I do for this length of time.
The Bad Saddles opened the day up in the side bar with a very high energy set that I needed along with four big cups of coffee to get this day underway here on a windy morning. I was up and ready to kick ass out here and enjoy some damn fine music, and do some more merch table shopping. I also had my daughter with me and it’s extremely hard to say NO to her, so I was buying two of things this weekend.
This fine rock band makes It’s home here in Joliet Illinois and is a prominent member of the local scene in Chicago, as you will easily identify upon their amount of local support and how much they are appreciated. They opened with a fine number called “Tanglewood” and followed that up with “Devil Door”.
The video up above is from “Long Way From Tomorrow” and they played another simply called “Happy”. They then closed with two more song called “Keep On Smilin” and one called “Radiator Blues”. I’ll tell you what I truly enjoyed this band this early in the morning, it was honestly nice to hear a GREAT band right off the bat!
The Decayed was Mr. Jahshie’s thrash metal band with members of his other band Last False Hope (whom I’ll touch on in just a bit) and I watched them from up top on the catwalk stages that line the top of the main stage. There’s furniture along the tops of the balconies of the main stage.
This band was pretty wild and loud, and they opened with a song called “Beaten And Battered” and followed that with a song called “My Decay”. Like many other bands here this weekend The Decayed is also a prominent member of the local scene in Chicago here.
“Hopeless” was next along with a song called “Not This Time”. Along with furious guitar solos and hardcore beats songs like “The Dream Is Dead” filled our ear drums as they closed with “Better Way”. It was one of the heavier bands I truly enjoyed this weekend.
Mr. Soda Gardocki is a staple band from other festivals that I haven’t gotten the chance to cover extensively yet. He played in the side bar this weekend and I think he did a wonderful job up there keeping us busy.
I had to return to the computer to update some things and run background programs in order to properly cover more sets tonight so I only got to check him out while playing “July”. But you can darn sure bet I’ll be covering his set even more throughout the years I do this.
Folks right now It’s time to talk about that dirty blues maniac we call Husky Burnette who opened his set with “Kick Rocks” off his new album out on Rusty Knuckles called Ain’t Nothin But A Revival. That album also made my TOP 50 OF 2016, it was truly fantastic. You can easily see growth in this man’s music lyrically and musically. He is an absolute guitar wizard with a finger slide, his shows are intense high energy and ha makes that guitar neck his bitch!
He continued with “Rising” which I believe he told me was a brand new song, and another one called “Pay By The Hour” before he steamrolled into “Law’s Riding Up” off his first album “Face Down In The Dirt”.
Mr. Brett Conlin put on one hell of a fantastic set here in Chicago today, and it was a true pleasure to catch up with him. I got the chance to talk with him a little biyt and get acquainted with his music more.
He opened with a song called “Pine Box” and followed that with “Ship Of Sin”. Another really good one was “Glad To See You Go” that song truly showcased his vocal abilities really well. “Everything I Know” was another one I noticed right away that was a well written song.
“Here we Go Again, Anyway” was next followed by “Home On Time”. He closed his set with “Whiskey Blues”. I shall be seeking him out more and more in the next few months and I will most certainly feature him again.
The Devil’s Cut is another Midwest band that is currently dong some touring work with the Ditchrunners, you can read about that HERE
“Left To Loose” was first along with “Cordel” and one off their second album called “Glass Chariot”. You know their cause and their lyrics truly speak for themselves and their drummer spoke some wise words on their website I shall reprint here:
“We have one of the worst economies, and due to that you have limited places to play. However, that has also really helped to create an underground community where people stick together, getting behind what is going on at the grassroots level. This communal aspect really comes through in our work, wherein most of the lyrical material and/or musical feel is based around the struggles that we all face due to a failing system”, says drummer Derek Vaive.
“The Body Electric” was next followed by “42 Arrows” and I think the next song was a cover song called “Shakedown On 9th Ave”. They closed their set with “Old Ghosts And Classic Cars”. Later on in the evening they came up to play with St. Christopher.
Mr. A.J. Gaither is one of our Kansas City friends that is part of the Westport scene and just recently released a mighty fine live album from it. He is a powerhouse OMB or One Man Band as they are called, and tonight he played “Biscuits And Gravy” with a mighty fine beat.
He also played “Natural Habitat” and declared Reggies to be the Chicago mecca for his music scene like the Westport Saloon is for his. One could easily tell he was just ecstatic to be there, and felt quite welcomed.
I went next door to see Mr. Matt Woods playing “To Tell The Truth” off his new album that like quite a few on this festival it also made my TOP 50 of 2016 with his album “How To Survive”.
He followed that up with “A Good Man” and the song called “The American Way” that I heard at Muddy Roots for the first time. I loved the lyrics to this song and I have always admired the way he delivers the songs, his stage presence is amazing. He closed his set with “Love From Brushy Mountain” and finally he played “Deadman’s Blues”.
Still after all these years I think “love From Brushy Mountain” to be his finest work in every aspect and even thought I liked songs off his new album a LOT it’s going to be hard for him to beat that album. I am eager to see him attempt to beat it though, and I admire his road dog schedule.
Mr. Duane Mark was one is just recently covered on the road with Sissy Brown in Tennessee and this time he had Mr Tim Vee playing bass with him. There were a few songs I caught and couldn’t find the name but I did see him play “Beer 30” and towards the end I caught “Her Mother” and he closed his set with the same song as the last time which was one by Roger Alan Wade “If You’re Gonna Be Dumb You gotta Be Tough”.
Mr. Adam Lee makes Chicago his home as well as many of the other artists here, and I have always enjoyed his versatile vocals. He brought Matt Woods up to sing “Call Me Bass Call Me Trouble”. I saw them perform that at Muddy Roots already, GREAT song.
His new album called “Sincerely,Me” brought out songs such as “Good Days” and “Show Folks You Mean It”. He also played a song called “Ten Years To The Day”. All in All I have always enjoyed his Honky Tonk style as well as his various other forms of music, and he is a truly gifted entertainer. He enjoys performing and it’s evident in his demeanor and music, I look forward to writing MANY more articles about him and his music.
Still Alive was another of the Chicago area bands and I missed their set. Band Members Dan – Guitar and Vox Dom – Guitar and Vox Bryan – Bass and Mikey – Drums make up this four piece band that mixes punk metal and ska.
Folks I assure you it’s nothing personal if I miss sets, I have to momentarily return to my laptop to do what I do as best as I can. I can and always will add set lists I find out about, and I will gladly edit these anytime for any band. I’m always looking to hire help as long as their heart isn’t out for free tickets and they actually WANT to report on the MUSIC!
S.S.Webb is my friends Mr. Henry Berger and Mr. Cris Bissell make up this Roots Music duo from Milwaukee Wisconsin that I have wrote many articles about in the past. I encounter them at many festivals around the country and have always enjoyed their music.
I enjoy the talks I get to have with Mr. Henry on politics and music and everything else we talk about, like many of you I can usually talk politics and debate or agree and still remain friends, it’s something I enjoy doing. I enjoy learning from others and understanding other people’s points of view, he’s actually quite an interesting person. A road musicians life is in no way an easy job and the insight he gave me last weekend was even more proof of my point that what they do isn’t one big party like your average person assumes.
“Dead Man’s Bar” was first tonight from their album “North” and they followed it up with “Bring Me Home” off the “Revenge” album and another called “Pullin”. “Any Old Thing” was next off my favorite album “Skulls Will Sink” as well as their next song “Chaser”.
S.S.Webb stands for Steering Ships With Broken Bottles and they have a nautical theme to their band. A few songs I don’t find on their albums were “See You In The Morning” and “Most Anything”. They closed their set with ‘Let It Burn”. You can darn sure bet that when they get ready to release new music I’ll keep a close eye on them for a review.
Dave-drums, Curtis-guitar, Johnny-bass, Jeff-guitar, Mikey-percussion Manny-vocals make up the next band that plays Chicago hardcore music called Evil Empire this insert is from their website:
We have different interests, opinions, and personalities. We play music together to promote peace, knowledge, and truth. We don’t care if you’re into hardcore or emo. In fact, we don’t give a motherfuck. Just keep things real, stand up for what’s right. – Fuck all inequalities, smash imperialism, keep it real, have fun. That’s our stance. Teach yourself.
Miss Rachel Brooke is one I encountered many years ago and right now she doesn’t get out as much for personal reasons. So when she is on a bill and I see it I usually go support that festival right away. It was very nice to catch up with her and let her know I’m still out there doing this.
She opened her set with “Keep From Crying” and right off the bat displayed her signature obscure but distinguishable vocal style. She has one of the most unique voices in all of music, a quality many lack in today’s day. “Ashes To Ashes” was next along with “Fox In A Hen House”.
I went up into the back balcony to enjoy her set even further as she rolled into songs like “The Ghost Of You” and she played one called “Stocking Blues” (that might be an incorrect name) however it was a good song. She played the song that made the Muddy Roots compilation disc called “The Mystery Of Death”.
She played a few more in closing her set called “Dixie Darling” and one called “Empty House”, it was truly good to catch up with her and get a chance to see her again. I been a longtime fan of hers and I don’t plan on going anywhere for sure, you can darn sure bet that you’ll be hearing about this young lady in the future.
Last False Hope what can I say about Mr. Jahshie P and what he does for his music scene in the Chicago area, that I haven’t already touched on? He and Shooter have always teamed up to do terrific things for Underground Music up there, and this festival proves it.
Last False Hope blends Hardcore and Bluegrass together for an ultimate experience unlike any other, and I’ll be featuring them this summer as well at Muddy Roots. The first song of their I caught was “God Damn You” and another one they played was “Hollow”.
As with his other band Mr. Jahshie displays an untamed vigor onstage as he releases all his pent up emotions onto the audience while performing songs like “Wasted Nights” and the last one of theirs I watched “Why Do I Fuck Up Everything I Love”. I had to head back to my computer for another update before the night’s closing main acts took their respective places!
Mr. Ted Russell Kamp not only plays bass for Shooter Jennings he also plays his own music as well, and is a seasoned multi instrumentalist. He’s been a staple member of all of Shooter’s bands since 2006 when Shooter released “Let’s Put The O Back In Country”.
He opened with “Hold On” and went on into “My Heart Has A Mind Of It’s Own” off the 2013 album “Night Owl”. His next song was called “Every Little Thing You Need”. His next song was called ‘Rainy Day Valentine, which displayed his own identity as an artist. Mr. Ted has been a prominent producer and musician for many years as a solo act as well as being in the background. “Another Love song” was next followed by “Down to The Wire” before he closed with “If I Had A Dollar”.
Mr. Shawn James has some pretty powerful songs whether it’s him as a solo act of with his band the Shapeshifters. I haven’t ever crossed paths with him or his band so it was a pleasure to encounter him on this bill.
“Through The Valley” was one of his songs today as well as “Snake eyes”. Mr. Shawn channels his inner beast as he wails out lyrics to songs like “Delilah” from his album “On The Shoulders Of Giants”. His last song was called “Hell Hound”, which is also from that aforementioned album.
Call Me Bronco has been another band that has been covered on this website before on many occasions through various festivals and shows. They played their ever popular song “Burn The witch” as well as “4 AM” and “4 Shots”. I was getting ready for the next couple major sets out here tonight that are pretty much leading up to the wrap up of this festival for the weekend.
Saffron Lair: Bass/Backup Vocals, Tyler Palermo: Guitar/Backup Vocals and Violet Staley: Drums/Lead Vocals make up the next band called Won’t stay Dead another punk band from the Chicago area. I did catch some of their set however even with a song list I didn’t catch the names. I did manage to catch some of their set and I did enjoy it, but getting ready for tonight’s big juggernaut acts was a chore that I was salivating for some time over.
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Left Lane Cruiser is just absolutely loud and insane music. And they shake the roof off the venue when they play, it sounds like a freight train rolling by!
Their first song was “Booga Chacka” followed by “Big Momma”. They too, just released a new album not long ago called “Claw Machine Wizard” in April. “Heavy Honey” was next followed by a rowdy cover of “Black Betty”. Their last osng of the set was called “Zombie Blocked” and they left the rock club in complete and utter disarray tonight before the main acts even took the stage.
Mr. Joseph Huber is one I just recently featured as he released a new album last month called “The Suffering Stage”. I got the opportunity to feature two songs before they went public, then I got to feature the new album.
He plays what I call “Feel Good Music”, playing string band type old mountain music influenced heavily by bands like Alabama. I have and will be featuring his music for many years to come. He opened with “Playground Is A Battlefield” which I relate to very well being from a run down area of his same hometown.
“Sons Of The Wandering” was next along with “16-10″ and ‘Drop In The Bucket” from one of his past albums. Another selection off of his new album called “You Showed Me”. Afterwards he played the ever popular “Hanging Road” off his album of the same name.
He closed his set with “Old Mountain Tune” and the older song “Dance Around The Daggers”. Always a treat to witness Joseph Huber’s wonderful music and get to visit with him afterwards, he truly is a great friend.
Mr. Billy Don Burns is a songwriting Legend and I recently got the opportunity to hang around him more privately in West Virginia not long ago. He came out and played “Dark Side Of The Spoon” and “Running Drugs Out Of Mexico” before Shooter came out.
Shooter Jennings is always doing things that I report on on this website. This time he was with his own band and it was cool to see him under this element for a change. Not that I dislike him with Waymore’s Outlaws because I don’t, it’s just fun to see him play ‘Electric Rodeo” and “Steady At The Wheel” on his own as well.
“Don’t Feed The Animals” was next followed by A song called “Triskaidelaphobia” and the “Real Me”. the ever popular “Outlaw You” which mocks the current state of Nashville bro country is always popular. Now make NO mistake I’m NOT one of the types that mock Nashville as a whole, in fact there IS a GREAT music scene here in town. It’s just the major mainstream crap that Music Row produces that is being mocked.
“The Last time I Let You Down” was next follwed by another one of my personal favorites “Nashville From Afar” which was on his 2014 BCR Mixtape, he releases one every year and tonight I got the 2017 one. “Wild and Lonesome” was next folks followed by “I’m Left You’re Right She’s Gone” off Coutach for Giorgio.
“Born To Die” was next followed by “The Door” and “The Other Life”. I thought O’l Shooter was on the mark tonight and I truly enjoyed his show because my daughter was with me for the first time ever for a music show. It was SO MUCH FUN enjoying the show with her. I never imagined my daughter would get to meet Waylon’s younger son, and I cannot thank him enough for that.
“Maifesto Number 1” was next along with “All This Could Have Been yours” and “Summer Of Rage”. He changed from guitar to keyboards throughout the entire performance tonight and with his dead on band that plays like a well oiled machine closed out his set with “Gunslinger” “4rth Of July” and as always “Good Time Charlie” for our friend Colonel Jon Hensley. Shooter if you are reading this I promise you that Jon’s picture will never leave my website and if it does I’m not alive running it my friend.
Escape From The Zoo was band from Houston Texas I missed and I was told they absolutely killed it up there. You can click HERE and buy their music and support this band as well. Folks that’s about all I got for you this time around, I urge you to get off the couch and see a show, support festivals and these bands.
One last act that wasn’t announced and was a last minute deal was one that I didn’t even have to be in the venue to know, however I DID see some of his set. Saint Christopher is one that I have covered many times on my website, and his question is always the same..Was it loud enough?
He brought out Corey Staley- Bass, and Derek Vaive- Drums to play in the side bar. “Let It Rip” was first followed by “How Low Can You go”? “Never Forgive” was next followed by Joe Fox from The Devil’s Cut joining him for “Revolution Motherfucker”.
“Regret And Guilt” was next as he bowels forth his aggressive vocals lambasting corporate rules and values, which could be understood as “St. Christophers Blues”. My favorite song he does is “Ride” and he closed his set and the whole festival with “We Are Legend”.
Even though St. Christopher howls out against mass purchasing and greed he IS FOR THE LITTLE MAN and the REAL American Dream. BUY LOCAL and BUY SMALL.
BUY STUFF from independent people and stop and take a moment to greet the artists and let them know they inspire you or speak to you through music. Of course I’m NOT saying skip your electric bill…just help me keep local music going…won’t you?