On a Sunday, no less, Libby Koch was a damn good excuse to bypass the pigskin and dive head-on into a “Family Reunion” instead! McGonigel’s Mucky Duck was the official “post party” for the real life reunion that took place with Libby’s family the night before.

The pub was packed and everybody was ready to kick it out.

First surprise was Jack Saunders on lead, which is never a bad thing, and a nice 5-piece band including fiddle. Then, LK announced they would play her new album, “Tennessee Colony”, from start to finish with Koch giving a small background on each songs origin.

Libby confessed to hittin’ the “hair of the dawg” as she swigged a Miller Lite and lit into “Burning (It Down)”. She gives great music “faces” and you could tell she was beaming proud of telling tales of her family and faith that inspired the new CD.

Whether whistling on “Gospel Song” or jammin’ with sidekick Saunders on “The Other Side” and “Take Me West”, Koch looks at ease and at home leading a strong band behind her. She’s out there every which way these days showcasing her multiple talents as this full band tonight, as a solo artist and as a “Black Keyish” duo with over the top drummer, Joe Devadanam, with whom she’s embarking on a left coast tour from LA to Vancouver soon! Rose and I caught that duo during the Christmas season and her electric smoked with his drum mashing.

Other highlights at the Duck were tender song about grandma “All That Love” with Susan Gibson doing background vocals on new CD, “Strength” with LK on mean mouth harp and her mama’s request of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” rocked the joint.

Koch got song requests from her other project, where we caught her first of all in April 2013, ‘Grievous Angels’.   That squad just won Best Americana/Folk at Houston Press Music Awards in 2013, plus she won Songwriter of the Year at same event! “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie”, stayed true to the night before “Things Got A Little Western” and “”Tell Me No Lies” delivered some sweet moment.

Her new song “You Don’t Live Here Anymore” rounded out a fun night of laughs, love and damn good music. It is not too often you hear songs about “peckers in your pants” or “the Tallywacker Choir”,  but on this night it just all seemed to fit together.

To quote the Houston Chronicle : “Too country for country radio, Koch these days would get filed under folk, the same place you find too country folks such as Lucinda Williams. That’s country’s loss.” Well said and worth repeating.

Libby’s the kind of down home person that I’ve only known for less than a year, but it feels like so much more in a good way. Lookin’ forward to the CD release and hopefully at the next reunion they’ll supply the homemade food, too…Keep pushin’ yourself to see live music!