The Dirty Blondes Friday January 20, 2012 At Nectars In Burlington, VT

Words by Tim Lewis.

In my mixed up world, Friday is my Monday, so a killer show on a Friday is not always the best. That said, there’s no way I’m going to miss the Dirty Blondes. The fact that they were the opening band just made it easier and easier.

I got out of work at 6, went home, ate dinner, and waited. Time moves as it usually does when waiting. Soon enough the clock was on 9, and it was time to head out. I put the Blondes pins on the suit coat, except for the evil ex-bass player one, and headed out the door. It was a lovely walk downtown.

I settled in, said hi to Diane briefly and met her family members. Happily, it was not long until they hit the stage. The Dirty Blondes charged out of the gate with fire and passion. The two blondes balanced the vocals while the power trio unleashed ferocious music. The songs are short and simple and full of fire. They always instantly knock me out of my normal reality and make my body move to the flow. Songs such as Whore, Easy Rider, Cry Baby and Burn fired bolts of pure energy through the crowd. Oh, Dirty Blondes was fun to sing along with. So was Drunk. We all did the dance move for Kung Pao. Ornan’s song was just wonderful. It’s a list of why some of the great drummers in rock and roll are not the drummer for the Dirty Blondes. More importantly it’s also about why Ornan will always be the drummer for the Dirty Blondes. I need to go through the lyrics sometime. Yayo kicked the night in furious fashion.

They played a frantic hour or so, then left the stage. The audience called for more, and the band wanted to give it. The club owners said no, it was time to set up for the main band. Rats. I think they were going to play That New Guy is not James Bond next. Oh well, maybe next time. I’m feeling pretty good about saying that, since they have played several times in the last few months.

Earlier in the night I had run into Eric from Swale who thanked me for showing up. I was a bit puzzled until he let me know that he and Jeremy were playing with the headliner, Led Loco. I decided to wait it out and stay for a couple of songs. They opened with some AC/DC then played a pretty good version of Good Times, Bad Times. Since I had to work early the next day, I did not stay long. Covers are cool, but original music is the best. I can’t wait for the next time I get to see Swale, now that’s some beautiful music. And as much as I love their ability do play anything and their wonderfully elegant sound, Friday was all about the volume, the fire, the power, and glory of the Dirty Blondes!

This post was originally published by Tim Lewis at his personal blog, https://timstriangletribune.wordpress.com.