Malcolm GauldWhat is it, anyway? He sometimes calls it “folk jazz.” I read a reviewer who calls it “hipster acoustic swing.” Whatever it is, I’ve loved it since my freshman year of college when a guy down the hall turned me on to “Payday Blues.” (“Where is my happiness?…….I don’t know!”) This led to obsession with such Dan Hicks classics as “I Scare Myself” and “How Can I Miss You When You Won’t Go Away?”
Thursday night I got to see/hear/feel it live for the first time and I only had to walk 5 minutes from my house for the experience. That’s right, Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks came to my hometown and did an outstanding 2-hour show at the Chocolate Church.
While I might not be able to categorize it, I definitely urge you to check them out if they come to your town. In the meantime, pick up their latest album, Tangled Tales. Their 2000 release – Beatin’ The Heat – is just as good. Hey, buy both!
Onward, Malcolm Gauld
