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Warren Haynes' Christmas Jam brought a lot of big names to Asheville, but Athens-based Bloodkin treated those at Stella Blue to a little Christmas Jam warm-up session. The Southeast did its best to stop our rental car in its tracks; the pass from Knoxville to Asheville was receiving what I am sure was record amounts of snow. As we pushed on over the pass, anticipation built--Bloodkin does play some seriously hard drivin' music--and I was sure our dedication would be thoroughly rewarded.
As we pulled up out front of Stella's more than two hours late, the lyrics of "Who Do You Belong Too?" wafted out the open bar door, guitar cords spilling into the night with the smoke and heat. Clearly, all this action had thoroughly saturated the bar long before my arrival in Asheville. Now, I love Widespread Panic, don't get me wrong, but if there is one thing I have learned to appreciate over the years it's the bands that Widespread "appropriates" songs from, and Bloodkin's rendition of their own "Who Do You Belong Too?" got my feet moving and my head shaking.
Two songs later Danny Hutchens' guitar dipped slowly into another song Panic fans may know well, "Quarter Tank of Gasoline." This song has made several appearances at John Bell solo shows. As Danny dug his teeth into the first lines, I smiled, for during the last 2000 miles of driving, a quarter tank had been our re-fill point, and the whole drive I had been looking forward to this song rearing its head. The line "I've got ghosts all over my windshield/
They're getting so thick I can barely see" reminded me of the snow accumulating on our windshield over the mountain passes. "Quarter Tank" set the stage for Houston Scott to come out on harmonica for a killer rendition of "Birthmark." "Voodoo can't touch us, we're too fucking mean," Danny barked out. That's an appropriate line for Bloodkin, a band that seems to be all about laying it all out there, whether you want to see it or not.
Danny dedicated the next song, "Rotgut," to his home when he's not on tour: Athens, GA, a "rotgut midnight town," where "bartenders sure keep you coming around." Sweat from the band and fans mixed with the sounds and lyrics. The bar now stunk of gin and whiskey as it spilled from patrons' cups and seeped from their skin. "Rotgut" was in the air in Asheville tonight.
"Mercy Train," a light instrumental, was a springboard for the Daniel Hutchens original "Makes Sense to Me." Needless to say, the joint was hopping now. Panic's (cover) tunes just seem to get people riled up, which "make's sense to me, I must confess."
"Success Yourself," a song that has made its appearances in Bar Tab and Stained Souls set lists, came up next, followed by "Magic Show." "Magic Show" gets things rolling nicely, and if I had to compare it to any other song it would be Panic's "Action Man."
The stage was now set. Bloodkin announced they would be taking a short break, then came back onto the stage accompanied by Kevn Kinney. Somewhere during the "Henry Parsons Died" jam I noticed that Kevn's guitar had a Mikey sticker on it, fitting to say the least. It was a small reminder that it has been a little over a year since the passing of one life that had reached so far into others' lives. "End Of The Show" followed next, with a long, winding jam intermixed. "Happy" by the Rolling Stones ended out the show. Guitar licks mixed with my sweat as a smile formed on my face.
The half of the show I saw definitely did not disappoint. I often wonder why a band with so much raw talent and hard driving guitar doesn't pack the people in. Bloodkin has all the makings of a kickass band. Guitar riffs, members who sing from their souls, and lyrics about going there and back again--what more do you need? You don't have to be a Widespread Panic fan to feel the way I do, but like most times in life, it sure doesn't hurt to be one either. Surrounded by friends from tours gone by, and facing a very long year without 'Spread for my head, I'm faced with the two options: one, be bitter and sour for a year; or two, get out there and start putting time and energy into attending shows in smaller, more intimate settings, played by the bands that "my band" listens too. Now, which do you think I'm gonna choose?
Phil Santala
JamBase | North Carolina
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