Everything was going great Friday night until I drove into the parking lot of the Crazy Tomato in Colonial Heights. Whoop…shhsssshhhh…my tire exploded. That was a bummer no doubt, but I had been craving spinach calzone for weeks and although I wasn’t looking forward to changing the tire in the middle of a sloped, parking lot, it wasn’t going to interrupt dinner with friends. A couple of hours and a bottle of Shiraz later, we decided to fix the tire, but my luck would rule for the night as my spare popped off the rim too and I wasn’t going anywhere. We were lucky that Abbi and Eric were nearby and they gave Tracy a ride back home to bring back the Infiniti. She always looks so pampered in that car.
Nevertheless, the night was still young when we drove away from the Jeep. We had planned on checking out Tom Bettini’s new band “Hillbilly Speedball.” They were playing a show at the Woodstone in Kingsport and since that was close by we decided to stop in and check out the band. Tom is always involved in a number of projects and while Ablazing Grace and CattleAxe are on hold, he’s formed an interesting collaboration with two of my favorite local musicians for a rock and roll acoustic act that’s pretty darn cool.
I’m not sure what a “Hillbilly Speedball” is although I’m sure Tom has a good explanation, but there was a fair crowd for a Friday night when we walked through the door after a $4.00 cover. The band was already playing to a room of some rowdy 50 or so people. It was a little unusual to not see more people on a “race weekend” but the Tomato was a little slow too. There was a camouflage curtain draped against the walls of the stage and pinned in place with darts. Stage left, Tom Bettini on acoustic left-handed bass – in the middle Rusty Honeycutt on vocals and guitar and to the right, Terry McCoy on acoustic guitar and background vocals.
Together these players’ histories are screaming with rock and roll stories from heavy bands that have received critical acclaim from plenty of fans. Honeycutt is the lead vocalist for 10,000 flames and absolutely has one of the best rock and roll voices you’ll find on stage. If you like modern guitar rock there’s nothing this guy can’t sing. The Nine Inch Nails song ‘ Head Like a Hole’ was equally as believable as the Alice Chains material. Even more impressive was his delivery of the Led Zeppelin classic ‘ I’ll Still Be Loving You.” You don’t take that one on unless you really got what it takes and Rusty is a gutsy shimmering voice in East Tennessee. His girlfriend, Nicole from the WRZK sat at the front of the stage tonight and they exchanged looks between songs.
Terry McCoy goes a long way back for me. We first met in the rock and roll palace in Mt. Carmel. I rented a house with drummer Chris Jones and during the first part of the nineties; we were rehearsing there with two bands and recording several other projects. Chris and Terry played in a high school band called Warrior and they would hang out at our place and occasionally we would jam on old Yes and Rush songs. Terry is a big fan of a prog-rock dinosaur band called UK too and we still enjoy talking about those tracks.
There are a lot of young guitarists who tribute Terry with their talent. He is one of the most popular and hard-working guitar teachers in the region and he’s not only successful for his talent, he’s a humble soul and I include him among the most bohemian of all players in my little world.
Case in point. I spend a lot of my free time in books. They’re the perfect remedy for boredom and regret and I’m usually toting two or three around with me. Right now, I’ve taken a break from cosmology and technology for a sample of fiction. Several months ago, Alan Gamble turned me on to the “Beat Poets” and he recommended Jack Kerouac. The book as been sitting on my shelf for a long time and after picking it up in early March, I’m enjoying my journey with Sal and the hip, lyric of this author’s style.
I was telling Terry about Kerouac and he immediately chimed in with the name…”Dean Moriarty” like he lived next door. There have been many moments where I thought my topics were a bit too much for those around me, but not for Terry. Moriarty is the dark central figure of ‘On The Road.”
Terry’s simply a terrific player and the times we’ve played music were momentarily thrilling. They don’t happen often, but we sometimes get together to jam for Mike Mahaffey’s benefit. He toured with a band called Avalanche, performed for many years with Tim Cooper and Sober Otis and has a long list of players he’s recorded with over the years. Tonight it was stunning to hear him play several intriguing – wicked solos. It’s hard to put the attitude into ‘Rebel Yell’ with an acoustic, but Terry knows all the devices and quite honestly, it was nice to step back and listen. However, when it comes to the sheer electricity of rock and roll guitar, Terry is the master.
Of course, I’ve said enough about Tom. So much so, the man doesn’t need anymore accolades. He’s a legend and absolutely the most intense and powerful bassist in the region. He’s got plenty of endurance too and never a note out of place. Tonight he was playing his new acoustic bass and was laid back with an awesome deep tone. My friend Tracy had never seen him perform with an acoustic, but he made it look easy. Even when he pulled the mike close and introduced himself as ‘Johnny Cash’s illegitimate son, he was able to sing the man in black and keep solid time with his acoustic.
Over the past several weeks, it occurs to me that the acoustic bands seem to gain more favor in the region and that’s a bit funny. While I was talking with Terry about Kerouac, some guy came up and talked about how great the band sounded. He mentioned another band last week that was “too loud.” When he walked away, I looked at Terry and smiled.
“When we were young, was there anything that was too loud?” I asked Terry. We laughed and recognized things have changed. I still enjoy hearing a powerful rock band pushing the limits of attitude and sound, but more often that not, it’s easier to hang out with friends while great talent perform acoustically and “Hillbilly Speedball” reminds me of an MTV Unplugged set. Honeycutt has a great presence, a stunning voice and good attitude about the music and performance. Together with Terry and Tom they blend several generations of popular rock and roll songs into a good time with friends and you don’t have to scream to talk to each other.
I shot several video fragments from this night and have them located on the server.