Acoustic Thunder definitely set the woods on fire Saturday night at the Bull. That's an old mountain expression for playing hot enough to call out the fire engines, three people with enough talent for a dozen, with the kind of coordination that makes you think they're somehow brain wired together. It's like a basketball team where every single player is `on'. Monty, Francois, and Dale are unbelievable.
Freemont John plays a heavenly sounding Taylor guitar (until he breaks a string and grabs his Ovation). Francois plays an enormous seven string bass and gets the perfect sound out of all of them. Dale Jacobs has a very pretty set of black Yahama drums that kick butt. Monty has one of those perfect rock voices, and Dale has his harmony chops down. All are dynamic showmen, but it's the music that knocks your socks off. Musicians of the calibre of Flip Ferrari and Walter Yarbrough drop in just to listen. This is one dynamite act!
The opening song is "Trucking", the Grateful Dead anthem. Monty's Taylor sounds like heaven, and Dale is hitting unexpected accents that really kick. Francois is in a class by himself. They go right into Creedence with "Down On the Corner". With only seconds of break time between songs, they give Van Morrison's "Wild Night"a workout. Freemont John has a huge range and all the soul you could want. This Band is not just exciting. Acoustic Thunder is thrilling.
I love the fact that they play close to the original without becoming a copy band. Good arranging here! A little more sophistication now with Sreven Still's "Love the One You're With". Down and dirty with "Susie Q". That's when the first solo dancer hits the floor. If you want to find the really weird side of Key West, it will probably surface at the Bull. Freemont lets his wah wah loose and plays some knockout lead. The boys segue into "Born On the Bayou" seamlessly, then back to "Susie Q" and straight into "Mustang Sally", which nearly blows the roof off the place.
Mr. Mellencamp's "Little Pink Houses" is great, but we're really getting down now. It's Clapton time. "Lay Down Sally" and "Layla" frost the cake. Francois plays some warp speed bass lead. There's major cooking going on. If you're really into rock and roll, don't miss Acoustic Thunder. They are totally fantastic. This weekend, they're on stage both Friday and Saturday, 10-2.