Buck Brown's Roadhouse Band
El Dormido
Buck Brown's Roadhouse Band, hard-rocking Texas blues, just opened its run at Blayney's on Monday nights. New band made up of familiar faces — if there's a jam around, you have probably seen Buck. In fact, that's what he says gave him the opportunity to become the guitar player that he is, and he does handle his axe. Definitely in the modern Texas slashing guitar style.
Back at the beginning, though, Buck worked it out by getting out of the garage and sitting in with whoever at whatever jam wherever. He cites Lonnie Ray, for example, as a master of hosting the jam, and attributes a lot of his development to being able to play with the working men of music who show up at sessions around town. In fact, that's what caused Buck's aspirations to be a working musician to gel: when he heard Lonnie Ray at The Point one night. Started coming around playing with Lonnie, then Rolland Allen, Big John and the list goes on of KC jam sessions.
Buck suggests that running a jam is like hosting a party — you gotta make sure all the guests have a good time. Lonnie is a master jam host, knowing which guys go good together and putting them up in front of the crowd.
Buck also feels that jams need to make a commitment to
beginners who are themselves deep in commitment but maybe not in
experience. He's found that the crowds sense the commitment a
novice has as well and will give a an ear and a hand. Buck notes
that that is another area that Lonnie
Ray excels at, how to present the novice to good effect. All this
should be of particular interest to the Blues Society and blues
community in general since the General Meeting/Monthly Jam has
been one of the longest running sessions in town and is the
subject of a point/Counterpoint on in this issue.
There's a regular list in the back of the newsletter here showing the ongoing weekly jams, and they are worth checking out for exactly what Buck is saying: here is where you get the music direct and unadorned. Sometimes it may not light your candle, other times it might get too hot to handle!
Buck's day job has taken him all over the country, and he's taken the opportunity to sit in at places like the Tampa/St. Pete Blues Ship, Denver, wherever he happened to be. He's always found excellent blues musicians in other parts of the country regardless of the region and culture, and they've always made him feel good playing the blues, and feel at home.
Buck believes for someone starting out, there's no better way to do it than come to a jam session.
. . . Most of the time you end up playing with people over your head, and that's the way you learn. He could not believe the rate of his own development once he out of the garage and into the jam. This may not be a popular idea everywhere, but judging from the results in Buck Brown, there's something to it.
Buck believes you can have everybody play. He says a jam can be run in a professional manner by working the beginners through and giving them their shot, and the crowd will indulge them as long as the show moves along. Then get on with the good guys.
He noted that the Boulder Blues Society has a weekly jam. Problem with KC is that it's only once a month and if you don't get in, you have to wait a month!
I remember catching Buck sitting in with Dick Dangerous, again at Blayney's but on the Tuesday jam she hosts, hearing him cutting loose on that electrical guitar rampage blues vein. But Billy Beale Woods and Dick herself wouldn't let well enough alone and had him back for some acoustic fun. There's more sides to Buck than amplification, and there's more to hosting a jam than just calling names off a list!
Instrumentation for the Roadhouse Band includes Len Bacoski on nimble five-string bass. Len has an extra low B string that adds a fuller sound to the music and gives Buck a chance to stretch out on those SRV stylings he likes. Kevin Hoober does trumpet, harmonica, guitar, raspy vocals and unique personality. Kevin is a long time veteran on the scene, definitely well known. Buster Gregg holds down the drum chair, has a good ear and helps set the sound for the band. Both Kevin and Buck served a stint with Woody Davis just previously to hooking up with Len and Buster to go Roadhouse.
Now they may not always present a polished front, but after all they are "Roadhouse," and their set list might include a Beatles tune and a birthday wish, depending on the mood and the event, plus some Freddy King and Elvis things and that Texas sound.
Buck is excited about where they're at after their recent gig down in Warsaw where he said they really came together. He's planning to go more regional in September when other band members' commitments allow them more travel time. He does have guests up to sit in with the band and definitely intends to nail down a time and place to host his own jam and return to the community and the players what he got when he was starting out.
For now they're holding down Monday nights at Blayney's and you can catch them as they become famous.
Webmaster: Gil T. Wilson
Last Modified 5 August '98