Old Man Winter

This is late for the first post of the new year. In previous years, there would already be a flurry of activities. But I'm running out of the second wind that sustained me the last while and have been feeling my age lately. Combined with some frigid weather, puttering around at home was more attractive.

The cold had let up on Wednesday. So I finally ventured out to the Dakota for an early set. Perhaps the foot-stomping music of New Country Rehab will put some spring back into my step. They did 2 sets tonight. The first featured covers (Effigy, Alone and Forsaken) and originals (Pretty Boy Floyd, Angel of Death) with an emphasis on rambling Americana ballads. The small crowd appreciated the furious fiddling and rhythm but not particularly vocally. So there was something deflating about polite applause after such lively numbers.

The second set included a musical guest. As part of their January residency, NCR is playing with various artists and covering classic acts. Tonight, Suzie Ungerleider (Oh Susanna) has joined for a set of Rolling Stones tunes. But first, inspired by all that country balladry, she went back in her discog all the way to 1999 for You'll Always Be. With just some light guitar picking and a rich, resonant voice, she silenced the bar talkers. In fact, her own songs were the highlights. The remaining set of countrified covers (Honky Tonk Woman, No Expectations, Dead Flowers) were enjoyable but forgettable. The one tune that kept its punch was the sexist Under My Thumb played "straight" as a rock number. As Ungerleider pointed out, "now it's back to the misogyny" though she wryly admitted to picking the song. But with her on lead, with a bit of winking vamp, and a lot of swagger, she made it work.