After Blues on the Bluff last weekend I walked away more “Memphis” than ever before.  The love I’ve developed for this city has surprised me more than anyone.  However, I was still carrying my own musical badge of shame – I’d never been to a Dead Soldiers show.  Honestly, their brand of Rockabilly (emphasis on the Rock) is not something I ever thought would appeal to me.  I’m the first to admit I was close-minded to the potential.  So when they scheduled a Monday night show, I was out of excuses.  Fate is great like that sometimes.

I took the night off and meandered over to DKDC early, making sure to catch the opening band in town from Chicago, The Gunshy.  After suffering the Summer Plague all last week, I was ripe for fun and good company.  This was exactly the place to find it.  A familiar venue full of half-familiar people, I immediately felt at home among the crowd of friendly late-night folks.   I am always amazed when they squeeze musicians into the front right-hand corner of this building and still make it look spacious.  As a bonus, the pleasant weather drew just as many outside as in, so it felt like a house party in a really kick-ass living room.

I got there just in time to grab some coffee at the Beauty Shop next door.  The calm in there was a lovely contrast to the chaos about to erupt next door.  I enjoyed my warm cup and low key company, savoring what I knew to be the quietest part of the evening.  The Beauty Shop is one of those places where I always feel a little under-dressed, but they don’t seem to mind any more than I do.  It’s a great pit stop as well as quality destination.  Possibly one of the most underrated places in Cooper-Young.  Of course, my perspective is always a little skewed.

After bolstering my constitution with caffeine, I wandered over to gander at the who’s who of the evening.  A mellow mood pervaded the crowd with an undertone of expectation.  No one there wanted to be anywhere else and that creates an atmosphere I really appreciate.  Too many things in this town can get spoiled by people who show up just to complain about what they’d rather be doing.  DKDC isn’t usually open on a Monday night and it was a special treat to hang out in the quintessential Friday night club on my Monday night off.

The Gunshy got the show underway with gusto.  With five full-length albums under their belt since 2002, Memphis was fortunate to get a slot on the 2014 summer tour.  The music was vivacious and skillful.  It’s apparent after just one song that practice does indeed make perfect.  I was mesmerized by the sea foam green guitar on the right.  It was like a little jewel pendant among all the dark clothes and dim lighting.  I snagged a decent shot of “Anarchists On Foodstamps” if you want to evaluate their sound for yourself.  Also be sure to also check out the acoustic recordings on bandcamp – I’m going to keep an eye out for these guys.  Definitely a show I’d like to experience again.

In-between sets I roved about, watching people come and go.  (I’m pretty sure I overheard some talk of Michelangelo.)  Mostly, I felt like a kid before Christmas.  I went to a Dead Dawls show at the Hi Tone back in the spring.  That’s the musical lovechild of Dead Soldiers and The Memphis Dawls.  They share intrinsic talent so a collaborative project seems like an organic next step.  It’s also completely amazing and a booking to watch for in the future.  Their song Suburban Woman is ingenious and bold.  The Dead Dawls recently got back from a spring tour where they ranged about the Eastern US spreading the Memphis love.  I was lucky enough to hear them play right before they left town and have wanted more ever since.  Waiting to hear the Dead Soldiers on Monday made me feel like an eager little fan-girl.  I could just tell I was about to enjoy something fresh and exciting.  (For me, at least.)

Naturally, I was blown away.  Their particular mix of rock, country, and soul is like music from another world.  When you describe a band as rockabilly blues it sounds easy to dismiss – a genre that doesn’t quite fit into anyone’s wheelhouse.  That’s because it is something refreshingly different.  One day, someone decided deep frying a Snickers bar would be great – the Dead Soldiers have essentially done this with music.  Their twangy enthusiasm is tempered with a gritty blues that keeps the music tangibly authentic.  Individuals I previously categorized as acquaintances instantly became Artists right before my eyes.  That’s right, with a capital A.

I flashed back to the first time I met Ben Aviotti.  I was at Pacific Rim and my date was one of Ben’s friends.  So he greeted us and immediately said, “You need to come check out this new band I’m in.  It’s great.”  Of course I’m paraphrasing, but you get the idea.  At that time, I just glossed over the moment as one dude telling another dude to check out his band.  It happens often enough in this town.  Fast forward a few poker games and many years later.  I’m just now checking out that band.  And I’m kicking myself that it took this long.  I’m not exaggerating when I say the Dead Soldiers is on my official Memphis playlist for keeps.  They summarily express the feeling of growing up in Memphis.  It’s the ultimate love-hate relationship that not everyone can appreciate right away.

I’m no expert in music, but I know innovation when I hear it.  The depth and variety of sound produced by these six musicians is the epitome of today’s Memphis music.  Their first album, All The Things You Lose, is available on bandcamp.  It’s worth listening to.  The second track, A Matter of Blood, is exactly what you will expect from music self-described as “Blasphemous Whiskey Soaked Country”.  From there the lines start to blur and it’s hard to pin down exactly what kind of music they are playing.  Church sounds like it was produced by Angelo Badalamenti for a Rob Zombie movie and Don’t Let the Fever Take Me is a ballad suited to evil bluegrass rituals.  My favorite is the poignant track It All Goes Black and one listen should tell you why.  To top it all off, the song One More Last Goodbye encapsulates what it’s like to live the dream in Memphis.

The show at DKDC was exciting and rich with blues.  The video I snagged wasn’t stellar but you’ll have no trouble hearing the music.  The crowd was also treated to a preview of some unreleased material.  I didn’t know Memphis was so quiet at 2AM on Tuesday morning.  Peaceful, in a deathbed sort of way.  After the show, the knot of people spilling out into the patio was the only sign of life in Cooper-Young.  If this obscure weeknight is any indication, the new album release party in August will be fire-marshall-packed at the Hi Tone.  It’s not marked on the calendar yet – so keep your eyes peeled.  A little bird advised me to keep Saturday the 23rd open for partying.

In the meantime, find a good reason to leave home and try something new.  I’ve been at this for several weeks now.  So you have a collection of empirical evidence that there’s always a part of Memphis you haven’t quite discovered yet.  This event on South Main is probably a perfect example.  Hope to see you out and about!