Dr. Boogie (top photo) at El Cid Club 6.25.16;
The Blessings (next pic) at Cafe NELA 5.24.16
All the time, night after night, year after year you hear the yammering: why can't today's bands be as good as they were in (pick a year)? Wake UP!! They are! They're here and now and gigging, they're as good as any of your oldskool favorites and they rip through a set like they motherf--k--g MEAN IT, all cylinders firing.
Any time you see either of these bands listed for future shows, pick your complacent self up and get going. They've learned from the best (just like the best once learned from the best) and certainly are on their way there themselves, right on schedule.
Dr. Boogie, fresh off their East Coast and Canada tour of festivals and club stormed El Cid Club on 6.25.16, with Patrick French jamming on harp and dancer Candace stage-invading to cavort and shimmy with her faves for the entire last half of their set. Lotsa new material, and always the high quality rock for a band who would describe their oeuvre as sleaze, because Record Collector magazine just did in its rave review of Dr. Boogie's new release Gotta Get Back to New York City, giving it 9 out of 10 stars. Yeah!
Dr. Boogie are: Chris P.- lead vocals, guitar; Dustin James- guitar,
vocals; Jeff Turpin- bass, vocals; Luis Herrera, drums
The Blessings cut loose at Cafe NELA (of the cool lighting system) sharing the bill with Pat Todd and the Rank Outsiders (Stones' reference, geddit?) But The Blessings were on fire, all six of 'em. Singer/guitarist/harmonica player Jeremy White wore his vintage North Beach Leather ensemble (Q: How can you wear that on one of the hottest days and nights of the year? A: I was dying to wear it!!) and the whole band rocked predictably magnificently in their Stones-y, hell raising original repertoire.
The Blessings are:
Jeremy White- lead vocals, guitar, harmonica
Mike Gavigan- guitar
Jason Upright- drums
Jeffrey Howell- keyboard
& organ
Lavone Seetal- backing vocals, percussion
and filling in for Duffy Snowhill on bass,
Lights Out Levine.
Both bands are chock full o' charisma, great tunes and gifted players. So go, already!
For more evidence, click LINK for previous Dr. Boogie photo essays and LINK for The Blessings photo essays. For more info, click their websites Dr. Boogie LINK
and The Blessings LINK
PHOTO OPS:
At El Cid: rock and roll couturier Evita Corby, Dr. Boogie's Chris P.
and stage dancer Candace.
At El Cid: Evita and Lisa Somerset (Mrs. Chris P.)
Below, at Cafe NELA, Jeremy White of The Blessings. When someone online noted that a few decades ago, that bottle of water would have been Jack Daniels, I countered, "who knows if we'd all still be here doing what we do were it a bottle of Jack..."
