Way...

This won't be a long post, since, as I said previously, it's tough to put the Waybacks in a neat little box and tell folks who haven't heard them either live or on record what they're all about. After our long-awaited show at the Science Museum tonight, it's now even more futile to categorize the virtuosic genre-bending they pull off so effortlessly. Those of us who have a lengthy track record with these guys were well rewarded with their first encore, an extended jam on their signature "Bright Place", the one that won me over on MerleFest's Cabin Stage six or more years ago. Yes, they did "Petrified Man" too and the one about red grenadine but the new stuff was what impressed tonight. All I can say is, for Pete's sake guys, lets get the new record out! The junior Wayback Warren Hood is making huge contributions both as fiddler and mando man but even more notably as a crooning singer/songwriter. He pushed lots of buttons in the crowd with the hook "I'm Tired of Always Being Right." And guitar wizard James Nash had us in the palm of his hand making sure we didn't miss a single lyric to a new millenium prison song called "Daughter of a Conjugal Visit." You can't make this stuff up...but James did. Stevie Coyle added to his distictive finger-style guitar work with a solid lap steel on selected tunes and the band's impeccable rhythm section, Chuck Hamilton on drums and Joe Kyle, Jr. on bass were their always steady and tasteful selves. It's a privilege to watch musicians of this caliber do their thing especially knowing they're such good human beings to boot. Thanks to Jim Napier for making this whole thing happen for the third straight year and for letting us tag along for the ride. If you've never seen The Waybacks, and they're ever close by, please do yourself a favor and check them out. It doesn't matter what kind of music you like. You'll dip your bucket deep into the well, and come up full. Thanks everybody, especially Gary and Patrick. I miss you guys already. My only regret is that I missed Adrienne Young tonight at AC&T She's got a new CD out and I'm sure it's terrific. And I'm gonna miss the Cowboy Junkies and King Wilkie at Lewis Ginter this Thursday, and the Biscuit Burners and Cephas & Wiggins in Ashland this coming weekend. But the San Juans are calling....TT

TT