Dustin Wong w/ Child Actor 4/23/14 Bar

I seem to recall Child Actor being a "local" duo. Nice guy/girl harmonies and use of synths ( and synth percussion). The accent on the female in the group was decidedly not local.
 Dustin Wong had at least 10 looping pedals for his well-worn guitar. At one point, he had to stop and rearrange pedal order so as not to get confused. Looped guitar parts created moody or pop backdrops for the final song crescendo. I am always amazed at the linear thinking that must accompany a solitary looper. A competent guitarist, Wong was able to sound like five people on stage. A Stanley Jordanesque two handed slap technique ended one song, while a wordless vocal ended another. Wong is definitely original in his delivery.

Thumbscrew 4/11/14 Firehouse 12

Thumbscrew is a power power trio consisting of Mary Halvorsen, guitar: Michael Formanek, bass: and Tomas Fujiwara, drums. Halvorsen, looking like a mix of Jan Brady and Velma from ScoobyDoo, is a diminutive monster on a huge Guild hollowbody. Formanek, the father figure, bowed and plucked waves of bass. Nimble Fujiwara, brushed and flowed effortlessly. Cuts from their new recording dominated the set. Fluid Hills in Pink, Still...Doesn't Swing, Cheap Knock Off were all great. Halvorsen's Guild was front and center, she could staccato, vibrato, and obligato through improv fills that were all original. These three make fluid improv that ebbs and swells.

Southern Soul Assembly 4/9/13 Norwalk Concert Hall

Organized by ace Mofro front man JJ Grey, Southern Soul Assembly showcased a great quartet of southern swampiness. Grey was joined by Anders Osborne, Luther Dickinson, and Marc Broussard for an evening of acoustic songs and stories from these accomplished musicians. Broussard had a booming voice and a gnomish appearance. His song about his grandmother was excellent. Dickinson, from North Mississippi Allstars fame, is known more as an electric axe wielder. Luther seemed very comfortable on acoustic slide, a weird looking bass, and some sort of a swamp bouzuki that looked like a coffee can with a stick and a rubber band. Dickinson's songs about cutting his grass (Yardman), and a sea chantey about fraternizing with mermaids were solid. Osborne is a true character. With a trademark Nawlins drawl, his songs Coming Down, Summertime in New Orleans, and a heartfelt closer about a "runnin pardner" who succumbed to drugs were all fantastic. Grey has been praised in this blog before, but his relaxed fireside chat atmosphere was awesome. 99 Shades of Crazy, and Lochloosa as well as a reggae workout with Osborne were fantastic. These musicians looked right at home in this relaxed setting.