JUPITER COYOTE & THE BLUE DOGS :: 12.31.05
THE WINDJAMMER :: ISLE OF PALMS, SC
Words & Images by Jenn Mahoney
Jupiter Coyote & The Blue Dogs
12.31.05 :: Isle of Palms, SC |
The Windjammer's NYE featured Jupiter Coyote and The Blue Dogs. They played individual sets and then combined to form The Canine Conspiracy, where both bands simultaneously played the final set and encore.
Jupiter Coyote featured Matt Mayes (guitars, guijo, banjo, vocals), John Felty (guitars, vocals), Steve Trismen (fiddle, vocals), Sanders Brightwell (electric bass), and Noel Felty (drums, vocals). Never disappointing, they captured everyone's attention from the first note. The set included tracks off Waxing Moon, Wade, and Here Be Dragons, and they were joined by some of The Blue Dogs and special guest Beth Wood of Arlington, TX. Noel sang lead vocals and drummed to his composition "A Little Like Me."
Jupiter Coyote & The Blue Dogs
12.31.05 :: Isle of Palms, SC |
The Blue Dogs featured Bobby Houck (guitar, harmonica, vocals), Hank Futch (stand-up electric bass, vocals), Jason Hawthorn (guitars, vocals), and Greg Walker (drums, percussion). This high-energy set included cuts from their latest release Halos and Good Buys, and JC members joined in for tunes from Soul Dog Food, Blue Dogs, and Letters from Round 0. They rocked out to the Grateful Dead's "Brown Eyed Women," (Greg and Jason, who filled in for regular guitarist David Stewart, once performed in the Dead cover band The Other People). Bobby led the countdown, and everyone rang in 2006 with a nostalgic "Auld Lang Syne."
The Canine Conspiracy ruled the stage thereafter, featuring original tunes by both bands and great covers, like Willie Nelson's "Whiskey River" and Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here." This set launched into the stratosphere with JC's "The Ballad of Lucy Edenfield" and "Real Thing." Beth joined in while Sanders ripped some serious bass lines on JC's "Rose Hill," which segued into the Dead's "Not Fade Away" and back into "Rose Hill." Hank led a rousing rendition of "Marie Laveau" from BD's Music for Dog People. Bobby played drums, Greg played riffs on Hank's beautiful Maplewood Alembic Classica bass, and Hank and Greg linked arms and jigged center stage. Bobby kicked off the encore with a drivin' version of the Allman Brothers' "South Bound." Then, they fully re-banded for JC's "Crazy Women" from Cemeteries and Junkyards.
Jupiter Coyote & The Blue Dogs
12.31.05 :: Isle of Palms, SC |
Chosen family: Hank and Bobby were cub scouts together. John and Matt knew each other in their formative years. Bobby and Matt attended boarding school in Virginia, where they naturally befriended and taught each other songs. Today, they still play the acoustic Takamine guitars they bought together years ago. John and David were fraternity brothers in college, and Noel is John's nephew.
They pursued different musical directions and endeavors after school, but they'd continually reconnect, always supporting rather than competing with each other musically. Their interest in music of all genres is evident; each brings a wealth of creativity to the woodshed. The resulting compositions are different and fresh. It's come full circle, and the wheels still turn, continually generating complementary tunes with room for everyone's contributions. They've maintained their bonds throughout the years, tours, midnight madness, roadside diners, and hazy highways. Musical synergy abounds.
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