Concert review: Slobberbone, Danny Balis, and Macon Greyson at the Granada Theater (August 21)

by Staff of The Gobblers Knob

What can I say about this past Friday night? Awesome? A total blast? A great night that really celebrated the music and the artists of the Dallas area? Yes, yes, and heck yes.

There were fellow bloggers and even members of bands that weren’t on this specific bill on hand to join over a thousand fans that wanted to witness the resurrection of the mighty Slobberbone. Danny Balis kicked things off in an appropriately old-school fashion with tunes from his brand new disc. Next, it was Macon Greyson that came on and proceeded to jam the throttle so hard it pretty much broke off. Tunes from their last full-length, 20th Century Accidents, were well represented. The set included The Wrestler’s favorite song, “Black Light," a song that out-Stones the Rolling Stones. They too were breaking out a new disc. Their new EP can be had for free at their website. I was challenged by a friend to pay close attention to MG’s lead guitar player, Harley Husbands, and then tell him later who, if anyone, was a better player. After watching closely, I had to admit that naming a player that was as ferocious would be a hard task to complete.

At last, Slobberbone came on, opening with the title track to my favorite Slobberbone disc, Barrel Chested. I have gone on and on about them since they started performing official “reunion” shows, so I’ll keep it simple. Fantastic. Truth be told, I have no problem sitting here and saying that Macon Greyson out-performed the headliners, because they did. That said, Brent Best and the guys tore through a cross section of their entire catalog exuberantly. While not as tight as MG before them, Slobberbone still rocked with reckless abandon and exuded a confidence that is fitting for a band that has been as missed as they are beloved in the North Texas region, not to mention the “Alt-Country” genre as a whole.

I attended this show mainly as an adoring fan and not as a note-taking blogger nerd (which I admit that I am, so there), so forgive me for not having a full set-list. As I stated earlier, Barrel Chested, the group’s second disc, is my favorite of theirs and therefore, the cuts from that album were the highlights for me personally. “Billy Pritchard,” “I’ll Be Damned,” “Engine Joe,” and of course, “Your Excuse” were all blasts from the past that seemed anything but dated. “Lumberlung” and “Gimme Back My Dog” were gems from other albums that really made an impression on me as well.

Aside from the actual concert, the evening was a celebration of the venue itself, as the Granada Theater marked it’s 5th anniversary as a full-time live music venue. Macon Greyson’s lead singer, Buddy Huffman, said it well when he reminded the crowd that the popular theater could’ve picked some big national names to star in their party, but chose to have local talent be a part of this special night and that is a part of what makes the venue a perennial favorite. (Neko Case, The Gourds, Dinosaur Jr., and The Avett Brothers are some examples of big-time acts that will be playing there soon.) Overall, it was a fantastic night where I find myself having a hard time truly explaining the reason it was so fantastic. It just was.