Langhorne Slim. The best since Otis Redding.

Langhorne Slim

Langhorne Slim, he's a different kind of artist soul. Charcoal graveled cheeks, crooked hat, dark brooding eyes and tattoo-covered arms, I think he might be the most recklessly brave musician I have ever encountered.

With Slim, it isn't just a performance, it's a diary sung from the gut.

He's the best since Otis Redding. 

I've seen him at Luck and in Austin this week, big crowds or intimate affair, the pulse was the same: Very little breathing room. Audiences anchored in his space. Hearts tangled up wildly inside his lyrical maze.

His lyrics grieved change, spill-over worries and pain. No word left his lips without a hard shake. When he sung, he took off all the layers. Completely vulnerable, he infused lyrics with life. He made rocks orgasmic.

I wondered why he wasn't ragged from leaving it all on stage. But, then, I saw him smile and I understood.

After Austin's show, he said that he may not be a rich man, but in doing what he loves, he "is rich in many ways."

He left us feeling pretty rich too.

The Resentments: unpolished perfection

Miles Zuniga 

Every time I've watched The Resentments, it's the same feeling that reflects from that Saxon Pub wooden plated stage. 

It's a feeling of stepping into the living room space of a long-time friend. It's this feeling that I just have to pull up a chair and hang out for awhile.

And, all around me are audiences packed elbow to elbow, yet there always seems to be room to make more room, and, of course, more room to dance.

And, I believe this group can play anything. They write their own music together and apart. They cover covers with a sense of special blessing twists. But, the thing that captivates me- -floors me actually, is how they weave their talents together.

When The Resentments hit their stride, it's like approaching a sky full of stars and knowing you'll never be able to grab them all at once.

 Bruce Hughes, Scrappy Jud Newcomb, John Chipman, Miles Zuniga & Jeff Plankenhorn

Radiating from the stage, there’s this sort of respectful musical bow. Individually, the musicians are talented. Together, these musicians glide. Bound by their work, they are intertwined by this common cosmic creative force. 

And, this musical magic spills downstage too- -blurring the lines between performer and observer. 

The most obvious observation thrill comes in watching the audience in full-gear tuned-in wrapped up in contagious joy.

Bruce Hughes

And, every time I leave a performance, I remember- -plated in my head- -the strength that comes from doing what you love- -together.  

And, despite my die-hard white-girl-don't-dance inhibitions, I leave knowing, I've lost a few calories dusting up the dirt on those unpolished Saxon Pub concrete floors. 

And, I leave knowing, I'll be back.