Vinny’s been pretty busy as of late. But, recently found enough time in December and January to go out and check out some bands he’s never seen or heard before. Came away impressed with two of them. One not so much. Vinny also saw a few bands he’s seen numerous times before. So… with that, here’s the rundown:

Must sees: Dirty River Boys and The Damn Quails. First off, The Dirty River Boys. Wow. Thats the first word Vinny thought of during their opening song. What a breath of fresh air. Unique. Four man outfit out of El Paso, Texas. A touch of Bluegrass, Rockabilly and Americana. Stand up bass player. Harmonica. Two acoustic guitar players and the star of the show… the long haired tatted up dude on the box drum. Vinnys not sure what you call that instrument, but he sits on a box and leans over and slaps the side of it with his palms. Seen it before, but never at the Wormy Dog. Dude is a show in himself. Vinny was very pleased with their hour long set. Bought their cd’s and a koozie at the end of the show and thanked the long haired guitar player for coming to OKC to share their music with us. Crowd was very enthusiastic during their show. Vinny was a little premature in giving Uncle Lucius the Show of The Year award. After seeing Dirty River Boys, Vinny is gonna have to say its a tie, if not a slight edge to DRB. Check em out the next time they come thru. You wont be disappointed.

The Damn Quails. Vinny had heard all the hype on facebook and other social media sites. This was the band everyone was raving about. Mike McClure produced. They were supposed to be all that and a bag of Refried Cheetos. Vinny held out judgement until he saw them in person. Well, the hype is legit. These guys got it. 7 or 8 piece outfit from right here in the 405, Vinny couldnt tell from the back, but there were a lot of Quails onstage. Every instrument you could think of, it was being played that nite. McClure has found another gem along the lines of the Turnpike Troubadours. Vocals solid. Musicianship solid. Sorta reminiscent of Band of Heathens with their own twist and trade off of lead vocals. Sometimes the hype is overrated. Not in this case. 2 Fins up for the Quails.

Now let Vinny get to the ones he has seen numerous times. Bleu Edmondson, Cody Canada & The Departed and The Bart Crow Band. Vinny has always preached about the albums Bleu Edmondson puts out. Lost Boy is still the best album put out in the scene since 2007. Vinny still stands by that. The Lost Boy follow up: The Future Ain’t What It Used To Be is still also one of the best put out since it got released. Vinny will always appreciate Bleus writing. And will always support him by going to his shows even though there’s more turnaround in his band than a Section 8 neighborhood. His songs are hard to beat. That’s the bottom line. And thats what Vinny cares about. Team Bleu.

Cody Canada & The Departed. They headlined the Quails show. Vinny has seen them 5 or so times now. Still a fan of Skyline Radio. Thats still their best song with the new lineup. Easily. But, Vinny is ready for some new stuff. Eager to see what their original stuff is gonna be like. Is it gonna rock Vinnys face off with the toe tapping, hard crunching guitar solos Cody used to give us in the Ragweed days? Or is it gonna be more of the Seth James influenced sound? Or somewhere in between? Vinny is hoping more of the spotlight shines on Cody Canada. Lets face it. He is the Man down in these parts and this scene. He has carried the entire Red Dirt scene for over 10 years. Heis the reason people come out to see this band. Lets hear some more rock and roll. How bout it fellas?

Bart Crow Band. Well… Vinnys not slamming on Bart Crow Band. But Bart Crow Band is Bart Crow Band. Not much has changed, but it seems to work. The crowd enjoys them and goes nuts when they play “Wear My Ring”. Not a band Vinny would travel for, but they will do on a Friday nite when he is looking for something to do with his friends and Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are not in town. BCB does serve their purpose in the scene. So go check them out. Good to drink to.

Another new band Vinny saw for the first time was Thieving Birds. They opened for Bart Crow Band. Thieving Birds are comprised mostly of the leftovers from The Kyle Bennett Band after he split. Vinny had heard a ton of hype on this band. You know, from those know it alls down in Texas at Lonestarmusic and THE online source for what is good and what is not good in this scene. Eh… Vinny doesnt agree with the hype. Average to less than average band. Nothing stood out to make Vinny think that the Thieving Birds were somebody to keep an eye on. Not even close. But hey, they are still a new group, so, who knows, right? Maybe they will improve with time. But as long as theres bars down in Texas who bring in Red Dirt Bands, these guys should have gigs on the weekends at least. So, remember fans... Quails Yes. Birds not so much.

Well, that’s it for now. Show coming up that Vinny will be at: Micky & The Motorcars on Feb. 18th. See you there.