When a band gets to play several days in a row, they find themselves running like a well-oiled machine. A certain telepathy forms among the members and they know what the other member is going to do before they do it. The night after coming to the rescue, they ended up playing a full show after they were only scheduled to open; Boxcar Social brought their unique blend of rock, funk, and bluegrass back home to Hanover and KClinger’s Tavern, they destroyed the place.
They were on fire and showed they were carrying the momentum they had from the night before at the Appalachian Brewery Company in Harrisburg. They were supposed to open for the Greens but the drummer’s wife’s water broke (acceptable excuse for missing a gig). The boys stepped up to the plate and played a Boxcar first set and then a hybrid Green Social second set mashup. No more specific review than that because I wasn’t there. I go into work at 5 AM so late night activities on those nights are few and far between.
They opened up with Funk #12, a relative new number to their repertoire. Another original simply titled D, brought out the funk featuring Brian Davis’ unique bass playing technique. The New Riders classic Glendale Train got us all in an Appalachian state of mind.
Wagon Wheel is another tune they have made their own and kill every time they play. Original composition 43 has the right amount of psychedelic tinge to it. They ended the first set with Get On Down followed by Frannie Mae. Once again the Col. Josh Sander’s playing was restrained enough to fill the beat without drowning out any conversation in KClinger’s bizarrely designed performance area.
The second set was a whole ‘nother animal. The second song was their debut performance of the Allman’s In Memory of Elizabeth Reed. Everyone was en fuego and Frank ( a.k.a. the F-Bomb, courtesy of Vuja Dave) was tearing it up. I’ve known Frank almost 10 years but it was only in the last 2 that I ever heard him play electric guitar. I’ve heard plenty of mandolin, banjo, and acoustic picking but he is truly a force to be reckoned with on the electric guitar. Dave’s percussion also shined through on this immediate highlight of the show. The rest of the second set raged with the highlights being Unrest, Taper’s Section and Something to Say, all strong originals.
The encore was the classic Boxcar sandwich of Pockets>Steam Powered Aeroplane>Gin and Juice>SPAP>Pockets. Once again, creating a great blend of their own, funky soulgrass with a dash of 90’s West Coast G Funk. Paul’s vocals and storytelling always bring a smile to one’s face. The cover of Ween’s Bananas and Blow and Phish’s First Tube ended out a great 2 night run that bodes well for an upcoming summer filled with bar shows and festival appearances.
Full set List:
4/30/11 Kclinger’s Tavern, Hanover, PA
Set 1:
Funk #12>D>Glendale Train, One More Time>Pound of Gold>Wagon Wheel, 43, Get On Down, Frannie Mae
Set 2:
Caught Up in the Sound> In Memory of Elizabeth Reed, Everybody’s, Mountain Blues, Coming into Los Angeles, Unrest, Taper’s Section, Something to Say, Thinking it Over
Encore:
Pockets>Steam Powered Aeroplane>Gin and Juice>SPAP>Pockets, River Song>Man Smart Women Smarter, Bananas and Blow, First Tube
Dave Kemp
BA in American Studies
Ph.D. in Rock and Roll
No comments:
Post a Comment