Rocky Votolato Is My Hero

I’m currently listening to: Rocky Votolato - Suicide Medicine - Suicide Medicine

Wednesday night I had the privilege of watching Rocky Votolato and friends in concert. I must say, it was a wonderful time. The night started off with a band known as Casados. They were a smaller, local band that had a pretty interesting sound. I wasn’t sold on the singer’s voice, but the lyrics were pretty grand. Following Casados, was William Elliot Whitmore. In case you aren’t familiar with him (I wasn’t), he sings with an extremely deep voice, with a really southern style of music. While this might not be my favorite genre, I cannot deny his incredible stage presence. The man must have downed four or five shots of whiskey during his set, in the process of telling us stories between all of his songs. I don’t know if I have run into a more genuine musician in a very long time. After his set was over, he proceeded to carry a trash bag full of candy around the bar as a post-Halloween treat.

Next Rocky took the stage. He played an electric set, which was a little bit disappointing, but I quickly got over it. I would say that the majority of his songs came from Makers, followed by Suicide Medicine (both of which I bought after the show). Once again, there was just an extreme candidness in the way he performed. He told us the stories behind a number of his songs, many of which involved his wife and kids. At this point in the tour, Rocky had been away from his family for more than a month, and I could tell that it was beginning to wear on him. I couldn’t imagine leaving my loved ones for that long, just to travel around and play in a different city every night. It must be pretty lonely. Luckily, you could tell that he, William Elliot Whitmore, and Lucero (who wasn’t performing tonight for some reason) must really enjoy playing together, as they complemented each other’s music so well. At the end, Rocky ended the night with “Makers.” It was wonderful.

I don’t think that I could have asked for a better concert. The atmosphere was wonderful– laid back and informal. The musicians were humble, and grateful just to get a chance to play their songs. I don’t think I have ever met more polite performers (in they way they appreciated the crowd and thanked the sound technicians). I only wish that I had someone who liked good music up here to attend these shows with. If I hadn’t been forced to sit alone for the majority of the night, it would have been perfect.