Concert Review Number 5: Blue Mountain at Euclid Records

Blue Mountain
Euclid Records In Store Concert
June 7, 2007

When you talk early alt-country seminal CD’s you throw out Old 97’s “Hitchhike To Rhome,” The Bottle Rockets “Brooklyn Side”, Uncle Tupelo’s “Anodyne”. There are more...Sun Volt’s “Trace” and Wilco’s “A.M.” and of Course the Jayhawks “Hollywood Town Hall.” But...but...but it would be a serious mistake to leave out Blue Mountain’s “Dog Days”.

Blue Mountain is...was...Cary Hudson, Laurie Stiratt and Frank....I cannot remember Franks last name but he was always...and when say I always I mean ALWAYS stoned. It was a three pice combo up from Mississippi. Lauries brother Will was playing some with the devolving Uncle Tupelo and then found a job with that little band called Wilco where he alone has hung on through all the genius, craziness and trauma that is Jeff Tweedy. So Blue Mountain had street cred and Cary Hudson could tear up his old scratched up electric with the best Neil Young Blues licks and rock the house. he and Laurie were married and they drove around with a big black dog ina beat up van.

They put on great shows and put out several albums but the shows always centered around “Dog Days” which had...just a lot of great songs on it. “Soul Sister” was the show stopper but there was “Myrna Lee”, “ZZQ” and of course “Blue Canoe.” Good stuff, very solid CD and it made for great live shows. Hudson kept playing better and bettier and rootsier and rootsier. I saw them at Ciceros a couple of times and started bringing dog treats for their dog and occasionally buying dinner for them. This was early nineties and the old Ciceros Basement Bar was still rocking in all of its Heidelberg cave club splendor. Great memories but like all rock and roll memories they had to die a stupid death. Laurie and Cary got a divorce, not a good looking man but a guitarist rocking around from town to town playing guitar does not need a lot of help to...stray. I do not know if that is what happened but Laurie always seemed so sweet. he was a nice guy too...anyway, they got divorced and made one more album that sucked and broke up.

Laurie put out a bad album with her brother Will. Cary Hudson put out several Blues based CD’s with deep songs about civil war and the south and...serious shit. I liked Dog Days which was all about drinking and cars and float trips and dogs and...Jimmy Carter and good stuff. His solo career sucked and not just a little bit.

So they have reunited for twangfest and played late last night (11:00) at the Duck Room for Twangfest. 5 hours before that they appeared at Euclid records in Webster before about 30 lucky people who showed up to see old friends. They played about 7 songs and most of them were off “Dog Days” and it was good. Cary looked good and played well. The old beat to shit guitar is gone. Laurie who was tending to be a little bigger then needed for a rock star looked good and pretty and sweet and Frank...the drummer, looked stoned and relaxed as he beat on a single trap drum with two sticks that were rods rather then normal drum sticks. There was a couple with a baby...she wore pink headphones to protect her from the loud music. The deadicated Soul Sister to her. They sounded great. As little as Laurie sings her voice is alway a perfect second track to his. it was a sweet little show and a sweet little moment.

Afterwords...standing on the corner outside Frank told me the dog was “long gone” and he even seemed a little wistful for those days with the dog and the married couple. He was a little hopeful that they would all record again and said the reunion has turned from a one shot deal, then to 5 shows and now to 9 shows so...”you never know dude.” Words to live by. There CD Dog Days is something that you should just go out and buy. Do it now.