Happy Birthday Radio Bean
Words by Tim Lewis.
I woke up early and caught a ride with Mike Luoma down to Radio Bean to catch Dino Bravos opening set. They rocked hard and blisteringly loud, then it was over and I went to work. I worked 8 hours, stopped at home for a quick dinner then headed back to the Bean. They were running a bit behind schedule, and I walked in as Anders Parker was loading out. Rats! He’s really good, and I missed him. Rats.
Anna Pardenik came on next and played a stunning song on electric piano. She was joined by a drummer and guitar player for the next two. She played guitar on the first and piano on the second. Her set soared and I loved every moment of her songs! They had a nice sweep to them and reached up from earth to just soar.
Next up, Mickey Western jammed some country with his band. Not my thing, but they rocked it pretty hard and were fun.
Lowell Thompson and friends followed with some tough country rock. It was cool, and great to see Steve Hadeka play drums.
They followed that by clearing the dance floor for tango sessions, where a bunch of couples danced the tango for 3 songs. It’s like a concert was happening and a dance broke out. It kind of worked.
Brett Hughes and Kat Wright came on next and played a few old style country songs with one guitar and two voices. They really sing well together. They sang a song about being on a wire, the saddest song ever, and it was stunningly beautiful. During the set, one of my roommates, Joel, and my friend Christopher Larrow walked in. What a nice surprise. And they got there just in time for Swale!
Swale came on and did a set of covers. They were joined by Kat and a guy who did a killer rap for Empire State of Mind. They followed with Let’s Have A Toast for the Douchebags, and kept the party rolling. Amanda left the keys to be frontwoman for a seriously funky C’est La Vie. They followed by asking Lee to come to the stage with an empty glass and dishrag and asked him to keep wiping it for the whole song. They asked me to sit on an amp and had someone else lean on the keyboard with a beer. They played the theme to Cheers, and it was great.
Immediately after their set Vedora hit the other stage. They unleashed a blistering Terrarium, Promises, Maria, and In the Pines with the end section of Chain. The energy was through the roof.
Next up a poet read a bit and the Eames brothers came on. We stepped outside to get a bit of air. The Eames guys sounded nice and played some bluesy rock.
Craig Mitchell and Soulmints followed with a rocking soul set. Purple Rain was especially nice. From there on it gets a bit blurry.
The Honky Tonk crew played a few and while I was not stunned, it was great to hear Marie Claire Johnson sing and play keys. Actually she co-played keys as there was someone else playing the same keyboard with her.
Shelly Shredder rocked pretty hard. I should really try and catch them again sometime.
Blue Button came on a unleashed a fury of blistering punk rock. It got pretty wild on the floor. Thanks Eric Olsen Rebekah Whitehurst and the rest for such a fun time.
Lendway came on next and were cool and wonderful as always. Kevin Lynam and the boys really know how to play! After that I headed for home. After all, it’s my Tuesday. Thanks to Radio Bean and all the wonderful performers that I caught and missed. I love you all, and you know that.
This post was originally published by Tim Lewis at his personal blog, https://timstriangletribune.wordpress.com.