Unfortunately, we didn’t get to the show until the second set last night.

Of what I saw, I was a wee bit disappointed, though it was still a solid performance all around. The band will get much better as they play together a bit more, and tighten a little. I thought the sound was the main problem. The show wasn’t nearly loud enough, and gave too much weight to the fiddle. When a band boasts two banjos and two steel guitars, and plays a rock-bluegrass, folks are coming because they wanna’ hear some pickin’.

Those minor weaknesses aside, I do still recommend seeing them. OCMS brings a rock n’ roll sensibility to a bluegrass that’s pretty damned authentic. They know their forbears, and respect them. They pay tribute to their Del McCourys, Doc Boggses, and Bill Monroes. I also like that there are three, sometimes four guys who sing. Makes for a nice a change of pace between songs, and for some powerful refrains within them.

Ketch Secor is the band’s charisma. Last night, he donned a stocking cap, t-shirt, and jeans, and carries a swagger that for some reason reminded me of Ashton Kutcher — only, you know, talented. He sings, fiddles like a madman, and plays some harmonica. It’s fun to watch his bow, particularly on the faster tunes. The bowstrings start popping off just a few bars in, and by the end of the song, he has this mesh of frayed strings flitting about the end of the bow.

But Willie Watson is the band’s best talent. I hate to say it, because it’s lazy, but the guy sounds like a young Bob Dylan. Seriously. Listen to this clip of “We’re All In This Together.” It’s actually not my favorite song on the band’s CD, but it was one of the two or three best songs from the set last night. For more upbeat clips, try this one. Or this one. The latter, called “Wagon Wheel,” was written by Secor and Bob Dylan. Really. It’s terrific live, and there’s a line in the song that says, “And if I die in Raleigh, at least I will die free.” Always chokes me up.

I know. I’m a cheeseball.

Watson doesn’t have the stage presence Secor does, but he plays a great straight man, releasing that incredibly soulfoul voice of his from behind an overly full head of Opie Taylor hair.

The band draws on folk and bluegrass standards (C.C. Rider, Poor Man), but they can also write a mean ode to solemnity in their own right. See “Take ‘Em Away,” probably my favorite song released last year. They’ve even got a Vietnam protest song. Also, there’s a guy in the band who calls himself “Critter Fuqua.” That’s funny.

Yes, there’s something a little poseurish about a group of 20-something guys who met in New York City trying to get famous doing bluegrass. But really, they pull it off. They also have a good time. They’re not jaded rock stars yet. That’s fun. Toward the end of the night, Sucor introduced the band. I didn’t catch the first two intros, but when he got to Fuqua — who’s from Chicago — he introduced him as “Shawon Dunston.” He then introduced Kevin Hayes as “Oddibe McDowell.” Watson then introduced Sucor as “Sparky Anderson.”

Any emerging band laid-back enough to introduce themselves to a new audience as late ’80s, early ’90s baseball personalities is okay by me.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 17th, 2005 at 5:59 pm by Radley Balko and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.