Webb Wilder w/the Nashvegans
WorkPlay Recording Studio
Birmingham, AL
August 19, 2005
The loyal and slightly crazed WW fans were feeling the electricity, getting a little juiced up before the show, chatting with old friends, while noticing the 5 TV cameras and ultra-sophisticated mixing board. This was gonna be the “breakout” moment for their deserving hero, WW. Wow! Taping a show for a Public Television airing and DVD as well as recording for a live CD.
This was like playing in the Super Bowl compared to some of the venues in the past…..”You’re Never Too Small to Hit the Big Time”….ain’t that the truth tonight?
However, like playing in the Super Bowl, there always exists the possibility of not doing your best because you “tighten up”; can’t get loose and let it flow. Never quite make it to “the Zone”.
That’s what happened to a certain extent Friday night.
Everyone badly wanted WW to sizzle; to be his brilliant self as we have all come to know him by attending his many shows in the past. I hate to say this: It didn’t happen.
However, the Nashvegans played at a new level of excellence. The George Bradfute/Tony Bowles duo stole the show with their guitar fireworks. I never saw George smile until Friday. He obviously was having a blast…..and played out of his mind. Tony – playing the dutiful 2nd banana so meticulously – created some fireworks of his own when given the rare lead duties. He added some theatric body english to his solos which made it even more dramatic. I like the way they stood closely side-by-side at times, guitars at the same ready angle, like 2 swashbucklers entering a bar together, looking to take on anyone at anytime.
There was some posing going on, fer sure. If I were a betting man, I’d wager that Tom used some eyeliner and rouge for the cameras……hey…..I thought he looked great! I’m not talking ugly here, by any shake.
Jimmy was off in his own world, as usual. Only this time he was on a riser. He was singing his brains out through most of the selections. Funny. When he noticed the camera coming his way, he suddenly would straighten his posture, screwed his face into a frowning concentration look, pursed his lips and stopped singing.
OK. I’ve procrastinated long enough about the substance this review…and of the show…..that is…..himself…..Webb Wilder.
When Webb is looser, he gets this little rockabilly hiccup sounding accent in his vocals that sounds like a high pitched “yip”. Listen closely to the recorded version of “How Long Can She Last” as an example…..the part where he goes “She made a monkey of the County Sheriff, he couldn’t just look away”… the vocal inflection between “couldn’t” and “just” is what I’m talking about. It is sooooo cool, soooo emblematic of WW’s style and something that was missing Friday night. Can’t do that kinda stuff when you’re a little tight.
Most all the vocals Friday night were just average. I was distraught over it. I wanted so bad for the performance to be super rare. Later, when talking to my Lady Companion (a Woodstock veteran and lifelong music fanatic) I said as much. She disagreed with me entirely. She said it was the best performance she’d ever see the band do. Hmmmm.
Webb didn’t fall short with his guitar work, though. Whenever he took lead, smoke came off the frets.
In all fairness, I think Webb took on too much and in the process the actual performance suffered. He was constantly showing concern over the filming…..are the cameras rolling?.....did they run out of film?......are they all wired together?......etc. This type of distraction never allowed him to concentrate on his music 100%. Even in past shows, I’ve noticed he really doesn’t get into “the Zone” until the 3rd or 4th selection. That’s why I hate to see such a great song like “Flat Out Get It” wasted when put at the top of the program.
There were a few times Friday night where WW uncharacteristically paused the band until he could recollect the opening words or chords to a number, and with “I Had to Laugh”, dropped some words out of order and had to begin again. Sure, this happens all the time in recording sessions, but the point I’m making here is the level of his distraction. Until Friday, I’d never seen the pauses or stopping of a selection.
I hope Bobby Field can work his mixing magic production techniques with the raw recorded material and turn the show into a sparkler. It’s probably doable. Let’s hope so.
Rock on.