As you can imagine, after being part of the music industry for the past 30 years, we’ve made quite a few friends along the way. One of those special friends is Ted Russell Kamp, who was one of our performers at last year’s LA Music Critic Award Winners Showcase. Besides his indie activities, Kamp is also the bassist for Shooter Jennings, who recently brought his tour to Missoula, Montana for a show at The Top Hat Lounge on February 20.
Kamp invited us to come see and review the show, and to hang with him before, so we gladly accepted his invitation. We had a great time catching up and having dinner together before the show. When we arrived for sound check, we were also pleasantly surprised to discover that another of our friends, Aubrey Richmond, was playing fiddle at the show. Besides occasionally playing for Jennings, Richmond is also a member of Blue Élan Records recording artist Mustangs of the West.
The opening band was Texas-based Quaker City Night Hawks, and they brought their country rock sound to provide the perfect wake-up call for Jennings. The band combines elements of ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynryd to create their own brand of southern rock The two guitarists traded lead vocal duties, while the drummer and bassist laid down the perfect foundation for the jamming indie rock sound. The crowd was whipped into a frenzy and totally enjoyed this opening act, which lasted about 45 mins We really loved their funky guitars which are also highlighted on their recently released self-titled album, which came out on March 1.
After a brief intermission, the lights came up on Jennings on the piano, Kamp on bass, Jamie on drums, John on guitar and Richmond on fiddle. The show started with a rousing honky-tonk blues number called “Bound ta Git Down,” which was the first single from his most recent album, Shooter.
The standing room only crowd loved every minute of the show, as Jennings played songs from all of his previous releases with an emphasis on his latest offering. He showed his musicality by moving from piano to guitar and back again numerous time throughout his set. He also showed how proud he is of his roots, with tributes to some of the country greats like George Jones and his father, the late Waylon Jennings.
Among the amazing songs he performed were new ones “D.R.U.N.K.,” the perfect country song, “Rhinestone Eyes,” “Denim & Diamonds,” and the classic “Steady at the Wheel.” Truth be told, every song was solid country gold and kept the audience joyfully singing along and dancing.
Another thing that we appreciated was that Jennings was not afraid to share the spotlight, as he highlighted the contributions of each member of his band, especially Richmond and Kamp.
We will definitely be back to see Jennings again soon. This was a wonderful night that we will never forget.