Fools Night Out comes from a song by Phil Wiggins | Moon photo courtesy Michael's Photo Gallery.
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You'll notice the majority of my reviews end up boiling down to the
same message.... you idiots, you shoulda been there. But I put it
much more diplomatically. It ends up that way because the motivation
that gets me to write the thing is a really good show that is rather
under-attended. Last night was just such a night, so here we go...
You idiots, you shoulda been at the Half Moon BBQ last night. The
show was billed as Billy C. Farlow plus the Lustre Kings. The Lustre
Kings are a rockabilly band from Albany NY. They brought down a
minimalist crew, Mark Gamsjager (guitar and vocals), Graham Tichy
(guitar), and an excellent guy on piano & vocals who's name I didn't
get. And they ended up borrowed Jack O'Dell and Johnny Castle for a
rhythm section. These guys did some great stuff... a nice selection
of swing tunes & boogies, some slow stuff, etc.
After a handful of songs, they brought up Billy C. Farlow and Bill
Kirchen. Both Bills are veterans of Commander Cody & the Lost Planet
Airmen. Bill Kirchen is of course now local, and if you haven't seen
him... you really should. Billy C is a great singer and harper. He
and Bill K. wrote quite a few of the Lost Planet Airmen hits.... and
they did quite a few.... 'Seeds & Stems'. 'Too Much Fun', etc.
The back room of the Half Moon was busy but never packed, and the
balcony never got touched. There was room enough for dancing, we had
three couples going at one point. The show was a lot of fun; there
was a great vibe in the room. The songs were long, owing to the many
piano and guitar solos.
The band was having as much fun doing their thing as we were. Mark
Gamsjager occasionally comes down to play with Bill Kirchen & Too
Much Fun. And of course Billy C and Bill go way back... So there was
a great familiarity. Bill took the opportunity to unveil a baritone
guitar. Bill spends a lot of time at the low end of the guitar...
with this thing... wow!
What can I say, it was a great night.