I wouldn't recommend sex, drugs or insanity for everyone, but they've always worked for me. ~Hunter S. Thompson
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| Designed by: |
| Ross William Perry @ the Snout |
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| Written by John Abbott | |||
| Monday, 02 November 2009 05:55 | |||
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The crowd on Friday night was wild for the Jimmy Hendrix Experience. Shouting out chants of "Hendrix, Hendrix, Hendrix". And, there are few guitar players more capable to rise to that challenge than Ross William Perry. With a stunning rendition of Little Wing, it was Hendrix in the style, Stevie Ray Vaughan. I find myself humming it to myself still, and it is Saturday afternoon. During the third set, there was a rendition of All Along the Watchtower that had the boisterous crowd, spellbound. It was really a good night to be at the Snout Saloon. It was a small crowd on Friday night. I had actually hoped it would be. I was hoping with economic times being what they are, maybe people would save up and only come out on Halloween night. There were short periods where the bar was busy. Only a few times were there people on the dance floor. Not the best night for a bar owner, but to a music fan sitting on the corner of a pool table, it was fantastic. Ross was carrying a bit of domestic-bliss-weight, bringing him up to merely thin. He explained he and his girlfriend had just embarked on home ownership. Meals were starting to be mostly made at home. He seems very deliriously happy in his relationship. Good for him, and good for us too, as I think his skill continues to develop as a guitar player in proportion to happiness in his life.  Musical high points, excepting the Hendrix songs, which were all great of course, Stevie Rae Vaughn's Pride and Joy. And a Ross William Perry original song, Another Deal Gone Bad. In addition, there was one other song. I didn't recognize it as a cover, but I can't say for sure it was one of Ross' either. I meant to ask him about it on the break, but of course forgot. I think the title was Help the Poor. Many of the songs Ross plays, are "blues shuffles". And, the best known shuffle player, would be Stevie Ray Vaughan. So it's impossible to *not* compare the two guitarists. …Yet here I am, in a small town bar in Chippewa Falls Wisconsin, comparing the man on stage to the legend. Finding it close. Very, very close. I felt very lucky to be there.Last night Ross was a bit more active than I usually see him. There were a couple of times where he was dancing around a bit on stage. Even then, he wasn't playing to the crowd, he was just having a good time jammin' to some tunes. Generally, and excepting those odd times, he is extremely focused on his music. Eyes closed. Every iota of his concentration tied to his playing. A couple of shows back, I mentioned something about it. And, I have to paraphrase, because it was a year ago and I had been drunken' :-) but he said: "My previous drummer talked to me all the time. He says I don't connect to the audience." "Connect to the audience", he scoffed. "The audience doesn't come here to connect with me. They come here to hear the absolute best possible music. That's what I try to provide them."  The night featured an extremely rare RWP encore. I believe, the first one I have ever seen him perform. It was unfortunate for me. He played the one Hendrix song I truly dislike, Manic Depression, but everyone else at the bar was happy.The Snout crowd was happy all night. People were having a good time on this pre-Halloween party night. It was also a night of heartfelt advice from an elder, passed down to me. I had noticed the chap sitting next to me on the pool table. A couple of times per set, weaving in wider and wider swaths as he returned each trip, from the bathroom. It was during the band break that he looked over at me. He put his hand upon my shoulder, and I looked into his bleary-blue eyes, and he said: "Take this advice! Red wine! Drink one glass of red wine per day…. It's for the heart! Along with whiskey, and the cigarettes…." :-)  I don't know about you but I go to bars to see things I have never seen before. Sometimes it is things you wish you could un-see, but other times, something really amazing. Friday night at the Snout, I had a chance to meet the owner of Dragon Quest Engraving, from Minong Wisconsin. He has an interesting sideline to his regular business. He travels around the area, visiting bars, where he does custom glass engraving on the spot. He has of a stock of shot-glasses, mugs and cups. What sort of tips the scales, and really turns it into a genuine barroom trick, is he does the engraving blindfolded. Tell him what you would like on your mug and he pulls a thick folded bandana down over his eyes and engraves his design for you. His work has a rustic sketchy feel to it, but amazing in it's complexity given his style. The wife bought a 32oz glass mug with her name, hearts, a motorcycle and eagle for the reasonable price of $35.It really wasn't until I got home later until I began to see the symmetry of the night. Here we had an engraver, blinding his eyes and cutting glass. And a guitar player, who always plays with his eyes closed, both of them letting their hands, and their minds, create the art. One of Ross's songs, Almond Sundae, is available through iTunes. His web site is http://www.rosswilliamperry.com The Chippewa Falls Freaks and Geeks welcome all the new readers from Volume One starting this week. You can visit the Freaks and Geeks web site for past reviews at http://www.freaksandgeeks.org
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| Last Updated on Monday, 09 November 2009 04:36 |
