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By Coco-Collette George
Backyard Tire Fire :: 06.23.2006 :: Malibu Inn :: Malibu, CA
Backyard Tire
Fire :: 06.23.2006 :: by Keith Berson |
Backyard Tire Fire started off their
performance with little introduction or fanfare at the Malibu Inn. From the first note, the band were right on the money and played like a fine-tuned machine, with nothing out of place or out of time.
A dose of Ed Anderson's low-key and steady vocals, powered by soulful and down-home lyrics, carried the crowd
from song to song and brought the girls in a little closer to the stage. The band jumped from good song to great
song without breaking for applause, so they never really had time to connect with the crowd. While the audience
was interested, this lack of intimacy made it more difficult to get into the performance. It seemed like people were
waiting for some kind of high sign from the guys to pull them in.
Ed Anderson ::
06.23.2006
by Keith Berson |
Although their performance was tight, the same could not be said of the acoustics in the room and the overall
engineering of the sound, which made it difficult to appreciate the live performance. With that said, Tire
Fire still pumped out progressive rock mixed with a tinge of blues and a "get up and make you dance" pop feel that
kept the crowd on its feet throughout the night.
Standing front-and-center, I experienced a face-full of intense drumming from Tim Kramp as he drove a
steady beat. Bassist Matt Anderson followed the same rhythm, but from time to time the low end sounds
were lost to the four corners of the room. The same could be said of lead singer Ed Anderson's lyrics,
which seemingly vanished in the rafters like bats in the belfry.
Ed gave up a good smattering of old Johnny Winter's style guitar licks with a touch of Delta blues combined with
Alabama country swagger. Aspects of Ed's vocals and guitar majestry were a bit reminiscent of the late great Stevie
Ray Vaughn, which is a testament to Ed's talent, imagination, and experience.
Tim Kramp &
Matt Anderson :: 06.23.2006
by Keith Berson |
These guys can certainly steal thunder from other alt-country, blues and rock bands who might attempt to combine
the sounds of John Lee Hooker - a compliment to Ed - and the style of a more modern and fast-paced Jeffrey Myers,
the drummer for the Charlie Daniels Band (1970) - a compliment to Tim.
Last but not even least - Matt's soulful and good ole grungy 'make you forget your miseries' kind of rhythmic bass
brought all the ingredients together to pull off a great show. Despite the sound problems that plagued their set, the
trio definitely brought their talents to bear and laid it on the line for an appreciative crowd at the Malibu Inn.
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