"Damn! This is fun!"
We're roughly about an hour into JASON & THE SCORCHERS triumphant Rhythm & Roots Festival headlining set and lead guitarist Warner E. Hodges has finally stripped down to just his -T-shirt. It seems that - after an hour crafting the most head-spinningly brilliant Rock'n'Roll you're ever liable to hear - he's warmed up and ready for action at last. Sheesh! Do these guys run on Duracell batteries or what?
Jason Ringenberg and his guitar-totin' comrades in arms are, of course, consummate professionals, schooled in the ways of Nashville showmanship. Yet I doubt many of us thought they could match up to the fire they exuded when they first broke through circa, ooh, 1983/ '84 or thereabouts. Obviously no-one imparted this dubious nugget of wisdom to the band, though, for they're every bit as ecstatic about this show as the audience. There are almost 400 people rammed into the city's beautiful new Set Theatre (completed as late as last year) and most people around me are in agreement that this is one of the best gigs we've ever been to. Period.
The signs were already there, mind. The band's first album of all-new material in fourteen years ('Halcyon Times') arrived a few months ago and suggested that they'd most definitely gotten their shit together again down in Nashville. A fine addition to the their already enviable body of trailblazing Roots-Rock work, it not only served notice that The Scorchers were back, but that they were keen to up the ante for themselves once again.
'Halcyon Times' exuded an enviable energy, but it barely prepares you for the Rock'n'Roll master-class The Scorchers circa 2010 are capable of. This re-constituted line-up rocks harder than ever before with 'new' boys Al Collins (bass) and Pontius Snibb (drums) already meshing like a rhythm section from heaven. Although he looks like he could quite easily pass for a member of a Scandinavian metal outfit, Snibb is a magnificent whirl of sticks and hair and drives the band relentlessly on. Collins, meanwhile, is the group's sublime anchor man, although his initial reserve is later under-mined when he indulges in a Dee Dee Ramone-style splayed leg pose or two.
Sensibly, though, both know they can't possibly compete with either front man Ringenberg or whirling dervish lead guitarist Hodges. Resplendent in his stunning silver-spangled shirt, snakeskin shoes and Stetson, Ringenberg is the natural focal point, although Hodges' manic energy, spinning Telecaster moves and power-chording blitzkrieg are breathtaking in their own right and it's difficult to take your eyes off him at the best of times.
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It would be easy for them to simply to wheel out a 'Greatest Hits', but the band are rightly proud of their new album and treat us to virtually all the best bits. Songs like 'Mona Lee' and 'Gettin' Nowhere Fast' burn serious Rock'n'Roll rubber, while the bitten-off raunch of 'We Got It Goin' On' demonstrates that The Ramones exist in the same firmament with Hank Williams and Merle Haggard in these guys' minds.It's not just hi-octane thrills, however. Jason's plaintive coal-miner's lament 'Beat on the Mountain' and a lovely slow and bluesy cruise through 'Still Tied' are among the evening's most heartfelt highlights, along with the Steve Earle co-write 'Bible & A Gun' which makes its' presence felt as the show's one concession to acoustic balladry.
Indeed, it's a testament to the new songs provenance that they can rub shoulders so seamlessly with the old favourites. The Led Zep-style muscle of the anti-war rant 'Land of The Free' comes after an ecstatic version of their Dylan cover 'Absolutely Sweet Marie' while the pile-driving crunch of the Hodges-sung 'Better Than This' comes hot on the heels of a beautifully poised 'Harvest Moon'.
After a generous two hours, they finally wind down, coming back on with lap steel meister Clive Barnes for a risky, but ultimately excellent take of 'Releasing Celtic Prisoners' and a rabble-rousing smash through the inevitable 'White Lies'. Needless to say, both sound as fresh as a daisy, as though they've just come on to start this here show all over again.
There are re-unions and resurrections in this dirty old game, but rarely has Southern Rock'n'Roll hospitality sounded quite so stunning as it does tonight. Yet the idea of wrapping it up is anathema to these chaps. "We gotta be in the hotel lobby ready to go at 8," says Warner as the clock heads for 2AM. "We'd be real happy to play for you guys until then." Oh Man. Please don't tempt us with gold-plated offers like that.
Jason And The Scorchers official site
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