Billy Keane (of Billy Keane and the Misdemeanor Outlaws)played at Blue 82 to a small crowd last Saturday afternoon. Despite the grim attendee count of the show, Keane commendably performed as though he were playing a packed arena, filling the room with energy and telling jokes and stories in between songs, adding in his likeability. Playing a solo acoustic set, Keane benefited from the intimate setting and used it to his advantage, quietly cooing through the microphone and making the transition to his more serious songs easily. Keane has a distinctive voice: it has a slight, sweet twang, and a unique shakiness reminiscent of Joe Purdy (‘The City,’ ‘I Love The Rain The Most’) and Ray LaMontagne (‘Trouble,’ ‘You Are The Best Thing’). His music has more of a folk quality, but there is something in his voice that balances it out to make it more of an indie-folk sound that could also be popular in the mainstream for fans of musicians similar to John Mayer. Find out more about Billy Keane by visiting his website, www.billykeanemusic.com.
True Apothecary seems to be a fun band made up of a fun group of guys, describing themselves as an “experimental/pop/rock” band. They played a lively set at Bayou Café and showed they definitely know how to rock out with their audience.
Though the music and performance was good, lead singer David Brooks’ voice was barely audible over the loudness of it all, so it was impossible to even remotely hear the lyrics of the songs. I’m not sure if it was a sound issue or if they purposely make the instruments louder than the vocals, but for a new listener it wasn’t the best way to be introduced to the band.
That being said, the band has strong melodies and an energetic live show that is fun to watch. It’s easy to get mesmerized as you watch each band member get deep in their zones and see the joy and determination that radiate from them as they play.
If you get a chance to listen to some of their recorded stuff, you can actually hear Brooks’ voice and lyrics, which improves the music. Check out True Apothecary by visiting www.trueapothecarymusic.com.
