Pine Doggin'
What is it that makes me love the Pine Dogs? Oh, great songs in a classic American rock 'n' roll style. Two great singers in Gretchen Schulz and Jim Whitford, with Gretchen adding in some great stage presence. Whitford's do-it-all guitar. An accessible, humorous stage presence that guitarist Don Vincent, bassist Tommy Fischer and drummer Jim Celeste help cement, turning may of their fans into their friends.
But like a lot of my favorite Buffalo bands (Steam Donkeys, Scott Carpenter & Real McCoys, most of Terry Sullivan's projects, to name a few off the top of my head), for reasons now buried in the past they never met with commercial success they deserved.
But the fans remember. In fact, Saturday night's show was another of the "family reunions" that Buffalo shows so often turn into. At one point singer and guitarist Gretchen Schulz started name-checking the people in the audience -- from the stage.
The band played over three hours, over 30 songs -- largely their originals. The audience mouthed the words to the songs, and the girls danced like it was 1989 -- albeit with a little more bounce to the ounce to match the gray growing in the guys' hair -- if they still have it. The Pine Dogs did their signature mix of American rock 'n' roll, with a ton of songs by guitarist and singer Whitford, but some by almost every member.
It was great to see Vincent back on second guitar. While the band continued after his departure several years into the band's existence (in 1995, just past halfway into the band roughly 1989 to '98 prime years; , his leaving took a little away from the group's glue. It's great to have him back for the occasional reunion shows.
This is music that should have been hits. On Saturday night, for a few hours on Amherst Street n Buffalo for a set of old friends, it was again.
BTW, here's a youtube video shot at a show as part of one of the area's summer series, with lots of kids jumping around on stage with the band. They're performing "What You Want."
If you get a chance to catch them again, don't miss it.
But like a lot of my favorite Buffalo bands (Steam Donkeys, Scott Carpenter & Real McCoys, most of Terry Sullivan's projects, to name a few off the top of my head), for reasons now buried in the past they never met with commercial success they deserved.
But the fans remember. In fact, Saturday night's show was another of the "family reunions" that Buffalo shows so often turn into. At one point singer and guitarist Gretchen Schulz started name-checking the people in the audience -- from the stage.
The band played over three hours, over 30 songs -- largely their originals. The audience mouthed the words to the songs, and the girls danced like it was 1989 -- albeit with a little more bounce to the ounce to match the gray growing in the guys' hair -- if they still have it. The Pine Dogs did their signature mix of American rock 'n' roll, with a ton of songs by guitarist and singer Whitford, but some by almost every member.
It was great to see Vincent back on second guitar. While the band continued after his departure several years into the band's existence (in 1995, just past halfway into the band roughly 1989 to '98 prime years; , his leaving took a little away from the group's glue. It's great to have him back for the occasional reunion shows.
This is music that should have been hits. On Saturday night, for a few hours on Amherst Street n Buffalo for a set of old friends, it was again.
BTW, here's a youtube video shot at a show as part of one of the area's summer series, with lots of kids jumping around on stage with the band. They're performing "What You Want."
If you get a chance to catch them again, don't miss it.
posted by Mister E at
10:58 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home