Friday Night at the BUT

I finally got out to hear some live music last night. My friend Phoebe initiated the idea of going to the Belly Up Tavern to check out Marc Ford (guitarist from Black Crows) playing with a band with local roots, Dealine Friday. She didn't have to ask me twice, not only is the Belly Up one of my favorite San Diego venues, but I have been starving for some good live music.

I have to admit that I was unfamiliar with Marc Ford's music before last night. Of course I have always been a fan of the Black Crows, I just hadn't been introduced to his solo work. I have seen plenty of concerts, which include some of the greatest quitar players ever (Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Steve Vai, Jimmy Harring etc.), so my standards for a great guitarist are pretty high. Now, I'm not saying he was that great, but I was very pleasantly impressed. I really liked his unique style. I picked out influences of Neil Young, Hendrix, maybe even a little Willie Nelson?

Deadline Friday is another good band. Like I said, they are a local band that has been around since 2001. I have caught a glimpse or two of them around town, but hadn't really listened to them before. Phoebe has seen them open for Gov't Mule in the past. They have also played with Dave Matthews Band, Tim Reynolds, Ben Harper, Counting Crows, etc. etc.

The music was great, the crowd was cool, it was a good show. There was one weird thing about the night. In between bands, they rolled out 2 big projector screens and then this guy came out and started talking. It took a while to figure out what he was talking about, but it was a plea for help/donations for the homeless kids of San Diego. Then they proceed to run a 10-15 minute documentary about their program. I joked to the guy next to me, "I'm just waiting to see a collection can being passed around" and sure enough, after the movie, the guy went around asking for donations. A good cause, but is this the right venue for such a thing? If I had been drinking, it would have been a buzz kill.


Photos by Phoebe on her iPhone! (I have to get me one of those)