Jonny Grave and the Tombstones -- Hill Country - Dec 27 2014

Jonny Grave and the Tombstones - Another fine local band presented for free at the best BBQ place in Penn Quarter (well, the only one as the other place closed and was too small for music anyway). Grave is an excellent guitarist either solo or with a band. Tonight he has a strong complementary outfit complete with rhythm section, guitar, and harmonica. They cover the usual terrain of blues rock with some Americana roots, but do it in a way that is fresh and vibrant, which can be a challenge for most. It helps that the guitarists can duel away with lead runs that reflect different styles and personalities. The vocals are rich and all the players have the touch to make their integration smooth but with plenty of heft to push things along in an exciting manner. It is a smaller crowd as holiday travel is taking a toll, but they are more engaged with the music than a larger crowd would be, so it was a great way to take in this band.

Quote of the Night: From JG after an audience request... "Moby Dick? Ha. No, the last thing we need is a 15-minute drum solo". Then people clamored for everything in the key of 'D' before the cliched Stairway to Freebird requests came in.