Reviewed by Denice Crowell
I went to The Orbans, The O’s, and Calhoun show with very little knowledge of the performers. I’d seen The O’s at Dallas’ Homegrown Festival over the summer, and I expected the rest of the bill to be made up of other Americana-esqe acts. I’d won the tickets through a Twitter contest from @DC9atNight, and was happy to have an excuse to revisit the Kessler again.
The Kessler Theater is in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas, and epitomizes the revitalization and arty hipness-at-its-best attitude of the area. The sound in the main room of the Kessler is excellent, and the other rooms offer alcoves for conversation, or, in the slick and chic bar in the lobby of the former movie theater, a place to see and be seen.
After a less than stellar week, I was ready for a treat, but I really didn’t know what we were in for. I thought that at the very least, we could drink a little wine and relax. If the bands were not all that great, at least I hadn’t invested much money in the night.
We arrived and took our seats in the stylish balcony just as The Orbans hit their first note. Wow. I’m usually a person of many words, but “Wow” sums it up. As they rocked the stage, I was reminded of Jacob Dylan and The Wallflowers. I’m not sure how to categorize them. Not quite rock, not country, but American music at its best. Excellent music with heartfelt performances, that just knocked my socks off. Do yourself a favor, and check them out at www.theorbans.com.
After a quick set change, The O’s took the stage. Instruments onstage included a banjo, slide guitar, a kick-operated tambourine, and a couple of bass drums, one of which seemed ridiculously large, guitars and harmonica – all of which were put through their paces. The O’s set was enthusiastic and uplifting. I’d describe The O’s as bad-ass bluegrass.
Lastly, Calhoun rocked the stage. Even though the lead singer, Tim Locke, took a little jab at Dallasites and how we “all drive BMWs”, he had the crowd melting in his hands. Taylor Young of The O’s doubled as the drummer for Calhoun, taking his place among the other incredible musicians. Calhoun is a rock band, no doubt, raw and wild, with the best influences from the American West.
The thing that burns in my gut about this show is, how did I not know about these great bands before? With Twitter and FaceBook, and publications like the Dallas Observer, I feel like I’m plugged in to the information stream about North Texas Music. Now, granted, these acts claim Ft. Worth as home, but, that’s only about 45 minutes west (although, both towns acknowledge that Dallas and Ft. Worth can be worlds away from each other).
The night of The Orbans, The O’s and Calhoun at the Kessler was one of raw and finessed energy, with more than a few broken guitar strings. This was one of the shows that reminds you of just how great live music can be and how much we need it.
This not-so-young girl will be looking a bit to the West from now on.