The Greenhornes + Hacienda @ La Sala Rossa

When I arrived at Sala Rossa the opening band, Hacienda, was just walking on stage. Excited to see this band from Texas again, (they opened for Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears last year at Il Motore), I was glad that I hadn’t missed anything. Sadly, my excitement quickly waned; it appeared that these three brothers and a cousin were not as into being there as I was. Perhaps it would have been different had I not been blown away the first time I saw them, but it was disappointing to see what looked like a great band mailing it in. After the fourth song, I decided that I would go outside for a cigarette.

When I came back in I was surprised to see that Hacienda had caught fire while I was outside and were now giving the show that I had been hoping for. It could simply be the fact that more people had arrived since I had gone outside, but, whatever the reason, I was glad to know that last year’s performance wasn’t a halucination. Their set ended with excellent versions of "You’re My Girl," "She’s Got A Hold On Me," and "Mama’s Cookin’," three songs that give a great overview of the blend of styles that make up Hacienda’s sound. My only wish is that I had not arrived until those last three songs or, better yet, that Hacienda had started the night with them. I would still recommend them to everyone, but it was just too bad that it took them so long to warm up on this night.

When The Greenhornes (Craig Fox guitar/vocals, Jack Lawrence bass, Patrick Keeler drums, and touring guitarist/keyboards Mark Watrous) finally hit the stage there was no fear of a slow build as they kicked off the show with "Underestimator," a great rockin’ bluesy number from their latest album. The first four songs were all heavy on the blues, including a great cover of The Gories "Goin’ to the River" and "Too Much Sorrow" off their 2002 album Dual Mono. Then the band shifted gears slightly by taking it in a more psychedelic tone (the 60’s British variety). Songs like "Cave Drawings" and "Song 13" off the newest album helped set this course, but they also threw in a few older tracks, including their first single "The End of the Night." The show ended with amazing covers of The Yardbirds’ "Lost Woman" and James Brown’s "I’ll Go Crazy." There is no doubting the talent of this band and I am very glad that I got to witness them live. The only thing I would have liked there to have been was a little bit of interaction with the audience. Aside from a few almost whispered thank you’s from Lawrence, there was no talking at all. Then again, when you sound as good as these guys do, you can let your music do the talking for you.

-Prince Palu co-hosts The Go-Go Radio Magic Show on Fridays from 6-8pm