scene but not herd

I received an e-mail yesterday that made me want to rush out of the house. It stated that Kelly Hogan would be doing vocals for pedal-steel player Jon Rauhouse, who was the opening act for Old 97's at the Galaxy Theater in Santa Ana. So indeed I rushed out the door and arrived a little after 8:00 and Jon Rauhouse was already playing. What can I say, but I love the sound of a pedal-steel guitar. It has such a distinctive sound, lovely and haunting. For those familiar with the work of Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant, Mr. Rauhouse is basically working with that sound and it is really a great sound. Western Swing and cartoon music left me smiling. My going to this show was made worthwhile simply by one song. It was an awesome spaghetti western sounding song with a wordless vocal by Kelly Hogan. Her voice sounded so great it was like an angel was singing in the upper atmosphere and the sound was seeping into the venue. Kelly Hogan seems to be often overshadowed by her good friend, Neko Case, but I find her work just as interesting. You should check out her album called Because It Feel Good.

I've never been much of a follower of Old 97's. I have to admit that my only familiarity with their music is from hearing it played over Suze's car stereo. After Jon Rauhouse and Kelly Hogan I wasn't really expecting much, but I have to give Old 97's credit because they put on a good show. I was actually surprised at how many songs sounded familiar. I really like one of their songs that mentions something about "I'd be lying if I said I didn't have designs on you." Rhett Miller also came out solo at one point and did another song I liked which was about being lonely forever. All in all it was a good night and I'm glad that I didn't stay at home.

Wednesday I'm going to see Caetano Veloso at UCLA and hopefully it will be as awesome as the first time I saw him play live.

Thursday is the Dirtbombs and Ponys at the Knitting Factory. This show will no doubt be great.