Creager & Morrow

-Jeff Dykhuis, Fan Reporter #001

Joe's Bar - Chicago, IL

Rc1 Everyone at Joe's bar in Chicago went "Texas Time Travelin'" with Roger and Cory. After Ashley Ray's acoustic set, Roger Creager was enthusiastically greeted by the crowd. Roger played songs from his latest release "Here It Is" including his current single "Good Day for Sunsets," and songs from his past albums which are crowd favorites like "The Everclear Song," and "Love," as well as one of my personal favorites "Late Night Case of the Blues." Roger has a great band that has been with him for quite a while now, especially Matt Madearis on the drums, Alan Huff on keyboards and accordion, and Stormy Cooper on Bass, creating a tight rhythm section that can play a rich sounding ballad or a rowdy TexMex two-stepper.

Cmrc4 Cory Morrow, who is now a veteran of the Texas music scene along with the likes of Pat Green and Jack Ingram, took the stage next. Standing barefoot on a rug he seems to always use on stage, Cory performed songs from his latest release "Vagrants & Kings," which is his 9th CD to date. He included "He Carries Me" and "When it's all said and Done," which is a lesson in Texas music, naming song titles at a speed like Johnny Cash's "Ive Been Everywhere" and includes that line also. Cory also played some old crowd favorites like "Big City Stripper" and "21 Days." Roger came back out to share the stage with Cory for the last three or four songs--even borrowing someone's camera to compose a shot of both of them hamming it up on stage. I can imagine the pranks that go on behind the scenes and on the bus between the two of them. If you chose not to attend this show all I can say is that you were "Having Fun All Wrong."

-Jeff

Americana Revolution Review #002: JD Thompson

JDThompson Here in a word is why I love going to my PO Box. Every day is like Christmas. And there is always the possibility of the thrill of discovery when you take off the shrink wrap. It came in a slim case, no frills, and for whatever reason, I popped it in my CD player first on the way home. And wow! As I came to find out after perusing the one sheet, five time Grammy Award winner Lou Adler has come back to produce this CD, of uprooted Oklahoma born JD Thompson. Chasing Demons lives in that Southern Gothic pocket that I love so much. Dark, percussive, insistent. Check out:

Walking Tall - as good a point of entry as there is

Swingin' - strips it down to unveil the folk behind

Mary Anne - haunting spaghetti western

Gone Gone Gone - gentle country infused sorrow

--With love from Jessie Scott

'Choke' by JD Thompson from Sabrina Franz on Vimeo.