Little Hurricane @Wonder
With Byran John Appley
A crowded Wonder Ballroom played host to San Diego dirty-rock-blues duo Little Hurricane, and Seattle based folk musician Bryan John Appleby. With the sand of a day at the beach still stuck in my hair and a crispy red color adorning my shoulders I made my way to the front for < 2000 a href="http://bryanjohnappleby.com/" target="_blank">Bryan John Appleby’s opening set.The Wonder’s beautiful and massive ballroom was packed and hot, as air conditioners struggled to cope with the 90+ degree heat of the day combined with the amount of btus being put off by the huge audience. The art adorned walls went light and dark, as roaming lights from the stage passed over the crowd, the walls, and back towards the stage.
Byran John Appley (BJA), was backed on Saturday night by his band, consisting of Jesse Hurlburt, Kyle Zantos, Joe Ruppert, and Cole Mauro. On tour following the recent release of his full-length album, Fire on the Vine, a masterwork created in a cabin over the course of this winter and spring. Appleby excels in creating exquisitely detailed imagery with very few words. Where a highly talented singer-songwriter can summon a picture, BJA brings depth to the short form, writing intensely detailed verses that remain accessible to a broad audience. Appleby’s lyrics do not aim to alienate with complexity, but rather derive the most meaning when they are simplest, and most poetic. Pick up Fire on the Vine on vinyl, record, or downloadable on bandcamp.
Perhaps Craigslist’s greatest contributions to society to date, San Diego blues rock duo Little Hurricane took to the stage next. Clad in a flowing white dress behind the drum kit, Chicago born Celeste “C.C.” Spina returned to drums in 2009 for the first time in eight years, taking to Craigslist in search of like-minded artists. Thankfully that day the Internet blues gods were in a rare good humor and C.C.’s ad reached Anthony “Tone” Catalano, lead guitarist and maker of custom guitar slides. The two bonded over a shared love of jazz and blues, as well as custom and vintage equipment.
Tone and C.C. brought their very own blend of dirty blues-rock to the Wonder on Saturday, as the crowd danced and sang along with every lyric. Little Hurricane has performed at Lollapalooza and South by Southwest, as well as having been featured in Rolling Stone. Little Hurricane is not by any means the blues of John Lee Hooker or B.B. King—it’s a new blues, a hybrid, part rock, part dirty blues. Pick up their 2011 record Homewrecker, and see for yourself.
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