Daniel Barrett, sporting a fresh young “Dylan” look, smoked on lead guitar from the get go. Following his tight lead was Mike “Cousin It Lookalike” Meadows on drum box “thingie” and the mouthpiece sweetness of Simon Wallace on harmonica. These dudes love playing at Kenny Pipes’ abode and it shows.

They broke out with an older tune “Shadows”, then “Strange Way to Grieve”, followed by a new one written by pd “Janey” and a drop dead show stopping version of Bill Withers Classic “Use Me” !! I see a lot of gigs, kids, but few where I’m saying to myself “you got to be freakin’ kidding me” 4 songs in. Wow was the Withers tune blistering hot.  I sang it for two days after the show was over.

This was my 5th time seeing these dudes-in fact the first “repeat” at KP’s deal for me & Rosie- and it is amazing how much they’ve grown musically since last seen in September 2007.  Each member contributes without dominating thee other 2.  A beauty to watch unfold. Plus the guys have a killer sense of humor.  They expressed that on their tune “Penny Candy” by changing it to “Kenny Candy”!  Hell, they brought the man himself on stage to play rock star with them, too!

Other songs that kicked butt were “Grass Growing Through Concrete” (a new one written by Bill Davis)  that was heavy on the CON-crete,  Townes Van Zandt’s “White Freight Liner” and another newer one “Hey Now Jack”. Talk about getting your money’s worth-what time did this gig shut down anyway?! “Come Closer”, “Diamond Eyed One”, and an old one resurrected from the vaults and re-arranged in bad ass style “Learn About Love” smoked! That one has never been recorded but should be. Mike told us the Bob Marley tune they did, “Waiting in Vain”, is something they do only twice a year! How special is that?!

Closing out the exhausting  (mostly on the fans from cheering!) show was “Since You’ve Been Gone” and a stellar “Custard Pie”- a Blind Boy Fuller blues classic. I know I missed a few tunes there boys and girls, but I also left some brain cells on House Street, too!   In a good way mind you.

This house concert series obviously would not be happening without the great musicians who dig it, but the regulars who MAKE it happen are beyond the reason it succeeds.  People like Rudy Salazar who celebrated his birthday and his 25th anniversary with the Fire Department. People like his sister, Terri, who brought a big ass cool fireman cake for all to partake in. 17 “newbies”,  including a group of 7 who made the haul from Conroe! They are part of a fellow house concert series called Piney Woods Performances headed up by a cool couple Jaime & Katron Coumbe. House concerts supporting house concerts-how great is that?!  Folks like “Chef Daniel” who always has a killer entree for us to stuff our faces with! This week featured brisket, and he promises to whip up his world famous chicken and dumplings for 7/12/08 gig! Sweet ladies like Dan’s wife Cheryl, who makes sure all the tickets and money work out correct.  Kenny’s mama is the one who hangs in the background and holds up the kitchen end to make sure all have plates, forks etc. to enjoy the evening without a hitch.

And of course, Kenny himself who shares a passion with this reviewer to bring LIVE music at its best to the public without lining his pockets to do it. Dude went out and got some MOST comfortable chairs to make the experience even better than it already is. Other than one dude who seemed like a newcomer and did a little bit of blabbing during the gig, the place could have been dubbed a “Rowdy Roadhouse” by the way the roof was raised ALL night long from start to finish by true music lovers. We here at Houston Music Review already have our check in the mail for the Sutton/Pike blowout 7/12/08.  My bossman, Samuel Barker, included on his virgin visit!! porterdavis embodies what I love in music and life. Eat, drink and be merry with a little music thrown in,  too. Take it from someone dubbed a “Four Plater” by Daniel, the food and merriment doesn’t get any better than this…