J Roddy Walston & the Business 4/28/12

Not since The Killer (aka Jerry Lee Lewis) has anyone thrashed a piano like J Roddy, and these guys are still having to open for bands like Lucero.  Sorry to those of you that are fans of Lucero, but all I can hear is simple, generic, familiar lyrics and melodies bordering on country after having Pandora-ed them.  Plus, half the band looked like hipsters and the other half American Chopper.  I only stuck around for a few songs from them.  JRW look like the boozing Greasers that they probably are with only the drummer having shorter than shoulder length hair.  They opened with "Don't Break the Needle" (that included his menacing cackle) and kept me smiling with their raucous energy and rock-a-billy blues mix with a dash of do-wop.  When I saw these guys open for Weezer a couple of years ago (bizarre pairing), their performance couldn't help but stick in my mind.  Simply put, these guys are just FUN.  They're music will never be mainstream, but there's never been anything wrong with that.  That's part of their appeal, I don't think they even give a shit if all they ever do is open for other bands.  They seem to just want to play, and when a band does it with vigor and balls like this group, its going to be enjoyable for most everyone.  Fear of being up-staged by them would prevent me from asking them to open up for my band.  They jammed on a good mix from their two albums with slammin' piano, piercing guitar, and 3-part harmony, although I don't think they played one of my favorites "Uh Oh Rock 'n' Roll."  J Roddy brought back his bent-over-backward moves while sitting on his piano bench and then actually ended up on top of the instrument and pounded the ivories with his knee.  Only because I wasn't alive to witness The Killer do it back in the day, I hoped JR would set the damn thing on fire. But in the end, they had to help pack up their own equipment with the roadies, something they probably wouldn't miss if they did make it mainstream.