« My view of the Hootenanny | Main | Nickel Creek @ House of Blues Sunset Strip: July 11, 2006 »
July 11, 2006
The Wreckers @ House of Blues Anaheim: July 9, 2006
The latest "buzz group" in mainstream country is The Wreckers (comprised of Grammy-winner Michelle Branch and her best friend and former back-up singer Jessica Harp), who took a break from either touring with the supremely untalented boy-band of top 40 Country - Rascal Flatts - or playing casinos filled with old people who were mad "because they lost all their money," according to Ms. Harp. Unfortunately, doing so many tours has not translated into many ticket sales for the duo, seeing as how the HOB show obviously did not sell well, and the venue was frantically trying to make up for lost ticket sales by hounding the audience with constant reminders that they not only had overpriced drinks for sale, but also snack items.
Despite Branch's pop success, The Wreckers succeed as one of the more talented acts in Top 40 Country. Their harmonies blend together perfectly, and the balance between the two makes them a true duo - and not just "Michelle Branch and Her Partner." The pair took turns at lead vocals, and also share most of the writing credits on the songs from their debut CD Stand Still, Look Pretty. You also gotta love their ballsiness - what other mainstream country group - which caters to a demographic of 40-year old mothers who like the 'family-friendless' of country - would not only record a song with the phrase, "The thing that I done wrong was put up with his bullshit for far too long," but LEAD their show off with that song?! Other highlights included their current single, "Leave the Pieces" (co-written by local-girl Jennifer Hanson - daughter of one of the boys from Alabama), their future single, "My, Oh, My," the song that SHOULD be a single, "Tennessee," and the very funny "Only Crazy People Fall in Love with Me." For their encore, the girls covered Deana Carter's coming-of-age hit "Strawberry Wine" and the title track from their album. Disappointingly, they didn't play the Patty Griffin cut from their album, and they only played for a little over an hour. After paying $75 for a pair of tickets, and traveling an hour to get to the show, it almost didn't seem worth it....On the other hand, considering that I could have paid twice as much to see them play for half as long when they open for Rascal Flatts (who I hate) this Friday, I think I made the right choice.
The Wreckers will perform again at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills next Tuesday, July 18.
Posted by darlin at July 11, 2006 10:39 AM
