In the clubs
Yeah, he still gets compared to Dylan once in a while, but maybe writers are just confounded when they see a guy armed with just an acoustic guitar and a harmonica. (Dylan can't even be compared to Dylan anymore.) Steve Forbert (pictured below) is bringing a band, the Rough Squirrels, through for this tour; he just released his ninth album, Evergreen Boy, for Koch Records. The Mississippi-born singer-songwriter lapsed into cult fame after his early-80s hit phase (remember "Romeo's Tune," which he still plays live) but his lyrics are as keen as ever. Winston-Salem's Jeffrey Dean Foster (The Pinetops) opens the show. Their Don Dixon-produced debut last year, Above Ground and Vertical, is a fine album of country-rock tunes. Foster credits Forbert as an influence, so it'll be a songwriterly kind of evening, Wednesday, Feb. 16, at the Cat's Cradle. --Angie Carlson
One of the best groups to come out of the whole N.C. alt-country explosion a few years back was Six String Drag. Only, they weren't exactly alt-country (bluesy gospel-jazz is more like it). And they weren't really from North Carolina; singer-guitarist Kenny Roby and singer-bass player Rob Keller were originally part of Raleigh's sizable Clemson contingent. Nevertheless, there was considerable disappointment among alt-country lovers when the group disbanded. Now, Roby (pictured right) is back with a new group, Kenny Roby & the New Electric Combo, and a new album, Mercury's Blues, which, thankfully, retains the best elements (fabulous songwriting, Roby's scratchy, slightly nasal voice) from his previous band, with a little more rock 'n' roll thrown in. Mercury's Blues has been out in Europe since last summer, but was just recently released on Rice Box records--the label Roby started with Lakeside Lounge owner Van Alston--in the United States. Help Roby and his friends celebrate the CD's domestic release at Raleigh's Humble Pie (829-9222) this Friday, Feb. 18, and at Local 506 (942-5506) on Saturday, Feb. 19. At both shows local jazz combo The Countdown Quartet will open. Call for show times and ticket information. --Karen A. Mann
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2.14 ~ 2.20
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2.7 ~ 2.13
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1.31 ~ 2.6
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