Jimmie Vauhgan - Callahan's (Motor City)

Still reeling from last night's main event.   Not sure how the Callahan Bros. managed to pull it off, but as soon as I saw the email in my in box several months ago I bit.   Glad I did, as the show sold out within a couple of hours.

It's not often the opportunity rolls around to see a legend, let alone in such an intimate setting.  I've probably now exhausted my ration of good fortune for one lifetime.

Seating was G/A, all 100 of them, and by the time i made my way to the hall i was probably among the last 10 thru the door.   Nevertheless, there just happened to be 2 folding chairs left on the front row stage right, not more than 4 feet from the mic.   Are you kidding me?   My lady and I gladly snapped them up.  No place to set your beer (other than the monitors!), but making eye contact with and high-fiving the talent more than made up for any deficiencies in accommodations for the true music lover.

The band is now called 'Tilt-a-Whirl', an eclectic mix of horns (lending that Chicago feel), bass fiddle, classic blues rhythm guitar, and of course the master himself on his stock Fender.   The sound as a whole defies categorization, but the way he speaks thru that guitar needs no explanation.  A blues man's blues man, to be sure.  The music was all new to my ears (no Thunderbirds or SRV stuff), but easily captivated the crowd for the duration.   A good 2:20 show that included 2 separate encore sets.   He stuck around after the show to sign CDs for whomever wanted, and seemed like a genuinely nice guy with an affinity for hot rods.   Quite naturally a hit with the gear heads in the crowd.

I'm sorry that I'm not able to give a set list; I believe that most if not all selections were from his most recent (2010, 2011) CDs.

Opening act was a local band, Horse Cave Trio; a Rockabilly/Blues ensemble that some of the locals may know from their Corktown gigs @ Nancy Whiskey's.   They performed an acoustic version of their electric set that nevertheless came off quite well, and would make one want to hear more.  A very distinct sound.

All in all a memorable evening in a dive/hole/club atmosphere with a living legend.   It doesn't get too much better than that (Joe).