Hey all! What a great week for music. As much as I saw and heard, it was still just the tip of the iceberg of what this fabulous town offers. I hope you all had as much fun.
    I started Friday at M.R. Ducks with the one and only Dr. Harmonica and his talented group of players, Rocket 88. This time out he featured the sax playing of Darryl Ray who is totally awesome (although I missed the smiling face of Alan). Anyway, my next stop was The Steer Inn to hear Kid Davis and The Bullets. Turns out Davis is Mike Davis (on guitar) who played with Mark (Dr. Harmonica) around ‘84- 85. So, I found myself the bearer of greetings between these two old friends.
    When I arrived The Bullets were firing off one great roots rock song after another; plus many more modern songs done rock-a-billy style. I mean ... please. You haven’t heard anything ‘til you’ve heard their rock-a-billy arrangement of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.” They were also promoting their latest CD - let’s see where this goes - featuring all originals, that I’m listening to right now. Davis  impresses with his full-bodied style of guitar playing, and I love the sound of the stand-up bass from Bobby. Some of the songs are so fast-paced it’s almost like bluegrass. Others are just the right tempo for some fun dancing. Anyway, the joint was jumping, as it will be again tonight with Full Blown Cherry.
    That’s right, Full Blown Cherry returns to the Steer Inn Friday for some of the most high energy rock-a-billy you’ll ever hear. Mick is a madman on the standup providing quite an enjoyable performance from this group. I have to say here that if you haven’t seen any of these shows, maybe you’re in a rut. Rock-a-Billy or Roots Rock, whatever you want to call it, is all the rage in cities across the country, particularly with the young crowd to whom it is all new and a refreshing change from current hip-hop. It’s upbeat and happy - just loads of fun. Come out to the Steer Inn and see, and hear, what I’m talking about.
    Saturday found me back at M.R. Ducks to hear the only appearance this summer of The Klassix. This band has everything a band should be - great vocals, superb musicianship and tons of stage charisma. Plus, the song selections were totally crowd pleasing. Fronted by Steve Ports (bass, who will be on the deck Fri. at Fager’s Island with partner David Bell), Bill Fritz on sax and congas and the amazing Viki Childs, all three provide better than excellent vocals and easily establish a friendly rapport with their audiences. It was a blast!
    Then I headed north stopping at Coins where Smitty On The Edge had a full house havin’ a great time dancin’. That Smitty sure knows how to work a crowd, and the musicians are tops. It was hard to leave such a good time but I had more plans for the evening and had to move on. And it was good to hear the incredible vocals of Bea with Arizona. She and husband Manny, on keyboards, guitar and vocals, are also two of the nicest people in the business. They will be on stage again this weekend and outside at Lenny’s Beach Bar & Grill in the afternoon. Enjoy this weather, my friends. So, it’s hot! You can jump in the pool to cool off, then come back to the bar for a cool libation and more hot music from Arizona. The aforementioned On The Edge will begin the week, Mon.-Thur., at both the Ocean Club and Lenny’s Beach Bar & Grill - both at the fabulous Clarion Fontainebleau.
    Next stop was BJ’s where my long-time musical friends Darin & Bob of Opposite Directions were holding court with their appreciative audience. These guys can always melt away the cares of the day for me with their solid talent on guitars, powerful yet soothing vocals and comedic banter between songs. I just love these guys and you will too. If you’ve never heard them, where have you been? They’ll be at The Shark tonight (Friday), and they each play at Coconuts: Darin on Friday afternoon; Bob on Mon. with Joe Smooth.
    I ended my Saturday with a late-night visit to the Purple Moose where Faded Image had the legendary ‘home of rock ‘n roll’ in an uproar. This Baltimore-based band apparently had a lot of fans follow them to the beach ‘cause they and the band were so fired up, nobody wanted to leave. The packed dance floor clamored for “just one more” ‘til closing with what they called the rock ‘n roll anthem, “Rock ‘n Roll All Night.” I highly recommend you see this group next time they’re here. I stopped in the Moose last night, too, and was surprised again to see Fuzzbox Piranha on stage filling in for another group that cancelled. I’m glad this talented trio has been given the opportunity to show what they can do and how well they captivate an audience.
    Can’t wait to hear our favorite Led Zeppelin tribute band at the Purple Moose tonight (sorry, that was last night); but they’ll be back next Thursday if you missed them. I’ve never seen anyone belt out Robert Plant as effortlessly as does Jean Violet. And he looks so much like him that from a distance, his performance is a dead-on ringer. What an incredible voice. Of course he couldn’t sound so good without the other members of the band who play Zeppelin music so well: Andy, Paul & Carey. Any night’s a good night for rock at the Purple Moose.
    Seems like the tribute thing is really big this year. The Beatlemania Again show on Sunday night (after a fabulous afternoon with Tranzfusion at M.R. Ducks) was again off the hook. Hope you like the photo I got of them before they went on for their second act. Their 3-act performance includes costume changes which reflect the era of the songs they perform. It’s amazing how the music can conjure up so many memories of where you were when “that song” came out. For instance, when Sgt. Peppers was released, I didn’t have a turntable, so I would head to the college library almost every day and listen with headphones - arguably (but not to me) the best conceptual album ever recorded. It was a blast and this Sunday promises to be more of the same with some nostalgia, of course, but from a group that is still quite current. U2 fans, you won’t want to miss the incredible act that Fager’s Island is presenting for us - a tribute act called 2U. When you see the various ads in our area papers, you’ll swear that’s Bono - but it’s not. All reports claim that the band sounds and looks like the ‘real McCoy,’ so get there early, and be prepared to rock out.
    Everyone keeps asking me, “where is Mary Lou? Why haven’t we seen her more?” With the current economy, a band with nine members has a harder time being hired than a smaller group. Anyway, here’s the alert - Mary Lou & The Untouchables will play this Sat. at the Ocean Pines Yacht Club. This place will be jumpin’, no doubt about it. (Northside Park Sun.) Remember, it’s open to the public - you don’t have to be a member. So, there’s nothing stopping you.
    No Byscuyts makes a rare appearance at Micky Fins this Sat. Actually the whole week is fabulous at Fins: Landers & Heinz on Fri.; Tear The Roof Off on Sun.; Lower Case Blues on Wed.; and Tom Larsen on Thur. GM Chief has big news for next week’s ad: David Stone - The Johnny Cash Experience is coming  real soon. And Tranzfusion will play there in Sept., too. Big happenings!
    I’m gonna be at Pickles Pub next Wed. for a special appearance of Lower Class Citizens. It’s Pickles’ We Are Not Closing Party! Well, that’s good news. Now get out & party safe!