Thursday 07.15.10: DUSTY RHODES AND THE RIVER BAND / SATELLITE CRUSH / THE RAMBLES

Dusty Rhodes and The River Band || Listen || Watch

Dusty Rhodes and the River Band’s 30 (or so) minute performance teemed with verve and the kind of welcoming warmth that makes attendees become instant fans. Singer Dustin Apodaca’s sells each lyric with a winning exuberance while playing keyboard parts that often resemble those of a churchy organ. He even managed to work his accordion into the mix without it ever smacking of gimmickry.

The six-piece delivered a near-perfectly paced set of richly textured rockers and subdued ballads marked by detailed lyrics that avoid annoyingly trendy cleverness and greeting card cloyingness–even if they do smell of patchouli on occasion. The sextet’s secret weapon remains violinist Andrea Babinski. Her stirring string work slides in and out at just the right moments, recalling the spot-on augmentation provided by Scarlet Rivera on Bob Dylan’s 1976 Desire album and Rolling Thunder Revue of the same period. – OC Weekly

With:
Satellite Crush || Listen
The Rambles
DJ A/J Jackson

8:30pm / $7 / 21+