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... by Joanne Corsano ... joanne@picturelake.com

Smack Dabs at the Spire Lobby
click thumbnail to see a photo gallery
of the concert

a photo of the band's set list is in the photo gallery to the right

Scroll to below video for a review of the show.

I'm Gonna Get High

The website for the Smack Dabs describes them as playing "Vintage Blues, Straight from the 1930s, specializing in a soulful blend of pre-war swing blues, originally performed by legends like Tampa Red, Big Bill Broonzy, and The Harlem Hamfats." In other words, the songs that your grandparents, or maybe great-grandparents, had such fun listening to on their 78 RPM records. Not just listening to, but dancing and partying to all night long.

We got to the Spire at about 6:15 and immediately got into a conversation with a gentleman who collects those old 78s, and who had come down from central New Hampshire with his wife, just as enthusiastic as he is about this vintage music.

The main guy in the six man band was Mark Earley, the singer and player of a guitar that looked rather time-tested. He introduced most of the songs, some with lengthier intros than others. The other musicians were introduced and I hope I'm getting their names correct, taking the names off the website, since they were all very talented and they were all having fun on stage. David Sparr, piano; Jim Gray, upright bass; Jon Kraus, washboard; Mark Berney, cornet; Kit Buckley, saxophone, clarinet. Most of the songs were uptempo, joyful toe tappers, and a few were slower, wistful ballads. It was a thoroughly enjoyable show presented to a very appreciative and just about smack dab full (sorry, I couldn't help it) lobby crowd. The band is based in Boston and I hope they'll be doing a few summer shows down our way, since it's impossible not to want to see such a delightfully fun band again.

I can't write about this kind of music without mentioning a dear old friend of mine who passed away a few years ago, Peter Sheinfeld, who was an avid record collector, and who kept his extensive collection of 78s in file cabinets sorted by record label. I very much enjoy listening to the music of this vintage and am extremely grateful that there are musicians who have such a commitment in presenting this music to the audiences of today.