The return of The Western Ramblers

After more than a year, The Western Ramblers were back in April, with a new drummer, at the Double Trouble club in Athens

Dustbowl - Johnny Cash : The Tribute Show

 [Before we begin, here is some info from www.dustbowl.gr]
"Dust Bowl" were those whirlwinds and hurricanes of dust that infested the South-West States of America from 1930 to 1938. A term born in those hard times from the people who lived in the drought-stricken region during the Great Depression. The "Dust Bowl Days", also known as the "Dirty Thirties", took its toll on Cimarron County. The decade was full of extremes: blizzards, tornadoes, floods, droughts, and dirt storms.

The Dust Bowl did not cause the Great Depression, although it did contribute to some of the economic problems. The dust storms began years after the arrival of the Great Depression, leaving them only to further hinder the economy. When farmers in the Midwest started having problems with their crops because of "black blizzards", they found it difficult to make profit and eventually lost their land to banks and the government. With their land barren and homes seized in foreclosure, many farm families were forced to leave. Migrants left farms in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Iowa, and New Mexico. The Dust Bowl exodus was the largest migration in American history within a short period of time.

Dustbowl (the band) were formed in Athens Greece [May 2006] and built their own flavor of Americana & Alt. Country-Rock. “Dusty Rock - Earth-Elegy” music which reveals their own inner lament and sentiments.
They weren’t concerned about fitting in or being a part of what anybody else was doing but the rebellious and deviant chain gang & the "dust bowl" refugees! 

 I went to see them when they did "Johnny Cash: The Tribute Show" at Athens Concert Hall (Megaro Mousikis Athinon) last March. I heard about them from the internet and a Johnny Cash tribute was not something I was going to miss. They had done this sort of thing before, back in 2012 I think, but this was the first time on a venue of such a scale. And they managed to rock the usually "serious" Athens Concert Hall with a 35 song set lasting for 2 1/2 hours. Several guests were brought on stage, including Makis from The Western Ramblers

SETLIST:
01. Folsom Prison Blues
02. I Walk The Line
03. Man In Black
04. So Doggone Lonesome
05. Big River
06. I'm Free From The Chain Gang Now
07. Get Rhythm
08. Cry! Cry! Cry!
09. Rusty Cage
10. Hey Porter
11. Busted
12. Cocaine Blues
13. Blue Train
14. Home Of The Blues
15. Wreck Of The Old '97
16. San Quentin
17. Sam Hall 
18. God's Gonna Cut You Down
19. Orange Blossom Special
20. Jackson
21. Long Black Veil
22. Ring Of Fire
23. It Ain't Me Babe
24. Green Green Grass Of Home
25. Sunday Morning Comin' Down
26. Don't Think Twice It's Alright
27. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
28. One Piece At A Time
29. I Still Miss Someone
30. I Won't Back Down
31. This Train Is Bound For Glory
32. Wanted Man
33. I Got Stripes
34. I've Been Everywhere
35. Ghost Riders In The Sky

 

I'm not a big fan of weddings, but I'm a fan of The Wedding Present

I admit it, I feel uncomfortable at weddings. Not the small civil ones like one of my best friends had a few years ago, but the big budget ones in churches where you have to act in a certain way, dress in the same way and party afterwards in a certain way. (And I really enjoyed it when a friend of mine took off his tie before his wedding, making me feel ankward that I was still wearing mine). I'd rather be at a rock concert as you've probably guessed. I think. Wedding presents are another thing. They are probably the most difficult present to give, since you have to choose something that the newlyweds want, but, at the same time, it is nothing that another guest has already chosen. So, I'm not a big fan of wedding presents either except for this one: The band fronted by David Gedge, who once released one limited edition 7" single every month for a whole year. (And that was in 1992 when the 7'' single was almost extinct and the CD single was the dominant format).

I finally saw them live in Athens last March, having missed them the last time they were here. They venue was six d.o.g.s., a small one, so it was one of those "intimate" gigs that I got to watch from the front of the stage.

Among the songs we heard that night, was "Blue Eyes" from "The Hit Parade" (the album compiling those aforementioned 7 inches and their cover versions b-sides), "Kennedy", "Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft" from "George Best", "Two Bridges" (their latest single) and even some from the band's alter ego Cinerama.

Finally, it was all over, after they warned us that they never play encores. The guitarist is still wondering however where his beer has gone...

SETLIST:
01. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
02. Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft
03. 524 Fidelio
04. Meet Cute
05. Two Bridges
06. Mars Sparkles Down On Me
07. Runway To Seatac
08. Go, Man, Go
09. Drive
10. Kennedy
11. I Wake Up Screaming
12. So Long, Baby
13. Blue Eyes
14. Bear
15. It's A Gas
16. Crawl
17. My Favourite Dress
18. Dalliance
19. Dare
20. Bewitched