This past weekend I actually drove out to Temecula to the Pechanga Casino to see a gig. Now that is “in the sticks” so, obviously it must have been important…and it was. I was lucky enough to see country Legend George Jones (notice capitol “L” in legend!). Let’s first just say it was super special and the show was a joy from the beginning to get that out of the way and assuage any fears that it would be crappy because he IS 79 years old. He HAS done tons of drugs and drank a river of booze, had 4 wives and been arrested more than a handful of times. But…ain’t that what makes a country legend a Legend?

The venue was a small modern theatre inside the casino and probably held 1500 at capacity. It wasn’t full but, it was pretty close. And filled with the types you would think would be at George Jones…. Real Cowboys (like me) older folks who have been fans for 50 years, guys who wear big suspenders and have long beards like the classic “hillbilly”, newer country western fans and a smattering of dressed up casino goers. It was an enthusiastic crowd and people were extremely supportive and clapped heartily throughout. They sold drinks in the lobby along with George Jones mousepads, shot glasses, trucker hats and nightshirts.

The show started out with The Jones Boys and a female back-up singer pickin’  a couple numbers to get the crowd in the mood and of course be a set-up for his grand entrance. Which it was. He came out wearing a low-key western-style suite and dark striped shirt with some VERY fancy cowboy boots on. He didn’t play guitar this time but his band made up for it. They were TRUE pros and he had a guy on keys, drums, bass guitar, fiddle and pedal steel. The guitar player was particularly hot and really knew how to bust the riffs and licks that make George’s songs extra special. The fiddler was a young kid and he did a lot of standing around but, when it came time to rip it…rip it he did. Again, the whole band was fantastic. Now, George is older and he started out a little shaky in his timbre and seemed to run out of breath at the end of lines. But, as the show picked up so did the strength of his voice and by the end he was belting it out! He even did little dances like I remember my uncle doing when I was a kid when he was LISTENING to George. George also spoke fondly of the past and told funny little anecdotes between the songs. He even bragged he was gonna keep us all there til 2 or 3 in the morning! Which he didn’t but did play for about 90 minutes and ran through a string of hits with only one medley of ballads. Which turned out to be awesome. OF COURSE he busted out White Lightnin’ and he ended it with his latest hit “I Don’t Need no Rockin’ Chair”. He started the show with some real oldies and some tunes that were more album sides which was very cool and of course threw in a whole bunch of hits like “Why Baby Why” and “She Thinks I still Care” and “From a Window Up Above”, “The Grand Tour”  and “The Race Is On” (Yes Deadheads THAT Race is On!) and generally busted out hit after hit.

It sure was a treat to get to see ol’ George Jones still doing his thing and he recently said he has no plans to retire. He also runs a diner in Alabama with his wife, has his name on sausages and is a partner in a record company as well. So, he is still very busy, which is no surprise since he has over 150 hit songs including 13 number 1 hits and 30 top 5s. He has a couple grammys under his belt, is in the Country Music Hall of Fame and was honored with the Kennedy Center Award which is the highest civilian honor our government gives out. I could go on and on but, suffice is to say he is still “Possum” to his fans and seems to have shaken his other knick-name, “No Show” with aplomb. I will never forget this one!

Couple Fridays back I went to a place in old school downtown Anaheim and saw an equally old school live music show blow the doors off the Juke Joint. Folks that run that place are real nice and they have been dedicated to live music since the late 70s. Beer is cold and cheap and the stage is just above floor level with tinny sound and speakers big enough to push it through that little hell hole just fine. It seems like one of those places that when they get REAL bands in there you are like “why are THESE guys playing here?” But, that is sorta what makes it cool and again, everyone was really friendly and there was only a line for the can once.

As I walked up to the twang of that early rock n roll that isn’t really Bill Haley style 50s bop but, more like country before it knew it was so rockin’…but was, I noticed there were a bunch of cars out front like this:

The kind that used to be considered cruisers in the day. I think the term “utilitarian” would have been used by someone like my Grandfather the farmer. Now of course they are American works of art and restored with a certain love and passion few possess and thank god for those folks. In Southern California here there are a few types of folks who do that: Car Club old fogies who meet at the retro-diners for cruise nights and all have tattoos from The Big One. The other kind is the Low Rider who has been a part of car culture here for well over a generation now and have tattoos of Jesus and lots of cursive and the words “In Loving Memory” of someone at least once somewhere. They rule many a neighborhood and are a massive contribution to the preservation of these grand pieces of American history. The third type of person that would drive a bad ass ride like that is the type that looks like this:

These were the types who were at this little venue that night to see some real rock and roll made by the man himself Big Sandy and his Fly Rite Boys. But first we were treated to old favorites by the Hot Rod Trio who had CDs for sale and were pretty tight. They stuck to the rockabilly format and looked as authentic as they sounded. Everybody seemed to really enjoy when the platinum blonde woman stand up bass player would sing one in the most nasal high pitch hollers you are gonna here in this 21st century. The old time-y guitar player had one of those Gretch Hollow-Body guitars that even non-guitar folks know is something special. He could really work that thing and made several very short but very inspiring solos in each of their little numbers.

You look around in a place like that and I know it must have looked like a place my grandmother told my mother not to go into when she was in high school. There were several guys with perfectly sculpted and cut pompadours with flannels or car club t-shirts on (those guys should call InknBurn for some SHIRTS?!?!?!), huge wallet chains and full sleeve tattoos with betty page looking girlfriends loudly laughing and carrying on. It was wickit cool to see this scene so alive.

After the Hot Rod Trio, some other trio came on that was FAR from tight and generally so unimpressive I don’t even know who the hell they were. THEN Big Sandy came out with The Boys and immediately had the crowd in the palm of his hand. His band sounds like something you would hear in a jumpin’ honky tonk in Modesto in the late 50’s when country was still a huge part of what rock and roll was and what definitely had many folks in the Central Valley hooked on at the time. But, Sandy is more flexible than that and at some points sounded like Spade Cooly and at others like Los Lobos. He played a few covers penned by legends of the sound like Faron Young and really made them sound fresh and contemporary. He sang with heart and his band REALLY rocked. Shocking it was just the 4 of them. They broke it OFF in there. And I saw Sandy at the bar powering shots since I got there two hours before. So it was truly a rock and roller that night.

Those guys have a lot of records and you can download a bunch of stuff but, make sure, you go see them live. You live in California? You like Rock and Roll? You authentic? Go see Big Sandy. 100% OG.