I'd heard Will Hoppey was back in town and putting a band together, so I went down to Barefoot Bob's to hear them. Willie doesn't fool around when he's choosing musicians. Bass player Flip Ferrari and drummer Peter Frazier have big time credentials from Buffalo Springfield to Molly Hatchet to jamming with the Stones.
You could look all over the place and not find better players. And Guitarist Craig Eubanks fits in that company perfectly.
The Po' Boys only play one set tonight. They are opening for Barefoot Bob's open mic night, which is attracting some exciting acts.
This club isn't only psychedelic heaven (I'm referring to the decor, darlin'), it's also doggie heaven. I was petted by an assortment of Labradors, malamutes, and mixed breeds who liked each other too.
The band's opening number was all they had to play. I love Cat Stevens' "Wild World", but I've never heard it rocked out so hard. Thrilling is a mild word for it.
Will is a fine front man, lead singer, and he has great harmony voices also, which carried that wonderful edge over into Badfinger's "No Matter What You Are".
There were some minor sound problems, = but not enough to stop the party.
It was a treat to hear Stephen Still's hippie anthem "For What It's Worth" done right. Craig played some smoking lead on that one. The dancers came out, singly, in pairs, and in groups, adding to the fun.
Next it was British Invasion music, "Mama's Got a Squeezebox", another crowd pleaser. Craig sang it. His voice is higher, great for the tune.
Barefoot Bob's has a reputation as a Deadhead bar. CSNY's anthem "Woodstock" took a lot of us back and intrigued a lot of folks too young to know what it was about.
David Crosby's "Long Time Coming, Long Time Gone" set things up for the Grateful Dead's "Friend Of the Devil".
Willie and the Po'Boys set up the open mic scene perfectly. This audience was already having a fabulous time and raring for more. We didn't stay to see the acts, but we saw Buckster Smith and the Vagrants, last week's winners on the sign up sheet along with Mandy, Scott, and a bunch of others.
If you want to catch this event, plan to stay out late. They tell me it goes on nearly all night. One thing I know, it is fun.
Stay cool.