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Smilin' Rex back at The Sportsmen's Tavern |
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Rex Hobart's return to Buffalo included another excellent, honky tonk soaked show with the Wrecks at the Sportsmen's Tavern, where he played a weekly residency while living here for two years (his wife Paula was attending graduate school) before moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the couple recently returned to Kansas City, Missouri. The show was packed, with friends, fans and musicians crowding every bit of available space, but dancing was still able to break out in a few spots.
Hobart and the Wrecks, his Buffalo band (this time with Charlie Quill on guitar, Jim Whitford on steel guitar, John Weber on bass and Mike Phelps on drums), launched into things with a fine honky tonk groove from the start on "Don't Make Me Break Your Heart" off Hobart's new Bloodshot Records CD with the Misery Boys, Empty House; as would become common throughout the set, Whitford's steel guitar and Quill's Telecaster supplied nice, cool solos and blended very well. |
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| This was followed by the very upbeat "I Don't Feel It Any More" off Hobart's "Your Favorite Fool" CD, then by (I think) "Don't Ask Me," featuring a very good steel guitar solo from Whitford. "Between a Rock and a Heartache" from earlier in Hobart's career, a fast, danceable shuffle, got people off their feet and moving as Quill and Whitford melded nicely, and a few even stayed on the dance floor for "Take It Back," a slower weeper where Hobart fears his woman doesn't love him any more. Whitford's sad steel guitar made the song hurt that much more. Things stayed a bit sad but more upbeat musically on "Heartache to Hide," and solos from Quill and Whitford again stood out, and Hobart then covered Johnny Paycheck's "I'm the Only Hell (Mama Ever Raised)," a performer Hobart and Whitford played a mini-set of acoustically during what was to be a song circle with Linda McRae at the Sportsmen about a year and a half ago before McCrae was not allowed to cross the U.S.-Canada border. He and the Wrecks then played "You've Got Some Cheating to Do," a great upbeat honky tonker on which Hobart offers his girlfriend the chance to get back at him in the way he hurt her; Whitford and Quill did their usual good work. |
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Rex and John Weber (both spending some time in Bflo...) |
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"Hello Darling," the next song, ended the regular set and certainly didn't lift anyone's spirits with its sad, weepy story made sadder by Whitford's steel guitar. The encore was a rousing version of "Gotta Get Back to Forgetting You," with the upbeat honky tonker again producing a rush to the dance floor; Hobart and the Wrecks could not hide their smiles from both the reaction and their sneaking of a verse and bridge of the theme from the Beverly Hillbillies into the song. Opening the show were the Rhythm Ranglers, with Whitford sitting in on bass, playing a bunch of rockabilly, country rock and early rock songs, including "Rockabilly Baby," "These Boots" and some Link Wray.
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Jim Whitford, on steel, controlling the songs' emotions... |
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| "Here Comes Nothing," another smart earlier song, with a lower, bluesier and slightly sinister feel, had some more good steel guitar from Whitford as the song also added a bit of jazz. Hobart, whose voice was in wonderful style as usual, described how he felt after his woman cheated on him on "Your Favorite Fool," prefacing it with "this is the kind of song you write spending time in Santa Fe." This was followed up by a few covers, including a kick ass version of "Heartaches by the Number," and Hobart and the Wrecks continued the upbeat honky tonk with "Do Di Do Di," a fun song with just a touch of rock added in; Whitford ripped through a really fine steel guitar solo.A few slower songs changed the pace, including the waltz of "Happy Birthday to You, Broken Heart" (I think), and one of the loudest ovations of the night greeted the musicians starting off "Jack Daniels, If You Please," as Hobart crooned and sang about drowning his sorrows. |
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Dueling guitars with Rex and Charlie Quill |
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