Written by Eddie Ferranti
Covering live music has become such a pleasure for Rose and myself over the last 20+ years. You get to see different personalities every time that can either get your attention or just move on and basically pass for the future. Brian Whelan happens to be in the former category. The Seattle native who calls LA his home has become somewhat of a regular to the underrated Houston music scene and fits just fine.
Supporting his latest release, Sugarland, he had a stellar trio of mates backing him up from old buddy Mike Stinson’s band. They originally met in LA when Stinson brought him aboard with vets Tony Gilkyson and Randy Weeks where Whelan states : “I kind of became the kid in that whole group Mike ran with.” Well he now is leading the way after having the stones to quit a lucrative gig playing in Dwight Yoakum’s band to go out on his own. Mark Riddell plays in multiple bands and holds down the bass and backing vocals, Lance Smith is a bonafide stud on electric guitar who seems to get better every time we see him and as BW told me Mike Stinson on drums “Who holds it all together for us!”
From the opening lid lifter of Sam the Sham and the Pharoah’s “Wooley Booley”, this gig was destined to be a hard core jam rock thang! “Every Tear I Cry” emphasized early on the trade off of electrical sparks between BW and LS. Two back-to-back cuts from latest CD rocked, “The Bottom” and “Go Dancing”, with Whelen portraying rock star with his lips and chin all over the mike delivering major in this killer venue.
The rock roadhouse feel kept rollin’ on the Rolling Stones’ classic “Happy” which made the enthusiastic crowd just that as Smith shredded. Just when you thought the tempo could not get any higher they ripped into Stinson’s own “May Have To Do It” where BW proclaimed “All I know is more boogie-oogie!” Epic. Patsy Cline’s “I Fall to Pieces” ruled followed by “High and Lonesome” from his unsung debut Decider that he says he never plays, but sure did tonight with Stinson blastin’ the devil out of the skins!
Yet another cover, Warren Zevon’s “Echo Park” where Whelen once lived, fit very nicely. It is obvious Whelen has honed his chops and learned a lot from his early tuteledge with Stinson and Yoakum to step out as a long haired front man deluxe. The closing foursome of monster solid rock “Americana”, title cut “Sugarland” (where his wife is from), Stinson’s sleazy “Take Out The Trash” and smooth as silk encore of Willie Nelson’s “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain” exhausted the crowd with appreciation! I’ll leave you with yet another quote by Brian that makes me admire his guts even more: “I’m also getting to that age where I have to go for it or give up the dream. I’ve got to give it a shot before I have kids or get fat or get comfortable.” This dude is a keeper. Come back please and boogie oogie anytime………..