Shiner Rising Star, KHYI, 2011 Rd 2 Wk 1, 9/22, Hat Tricks in Lewisville
Story and pix by Mary Jane Farmer
Two passionate and billiant bands met on the Hat Tricks stage Thursday night (9/22) to kick off Round Two of Shiner Rising Star. When the judges’ scores were counted, Sidekick Mafia had beat out The Dustin Perkins Band by a margin that was closer than Friday morning’s fog to the ground.
In this round, both bands were given 45 minutes on stage, and that included set up and break down, and requried to perform two covers. Another change for this night was that there were four judges in place of the usual three. Judges were Bonnie Whitmore, Big Gus Samuelson, Coach Joe Avazenno, and Brett Dillon. And the full support crew was there, too — Ric Denker, Lisa Hooks, Jake Samuelson, and the RogueTV.net crew, William and Trisha.
Judges for Round 2 Week 1
Dustin Perkins and Justin Pickard
Dustin and his band, Michael Waitt on bass, Nathan Brown on drums, and Colton Gilbreath on lead guitar, led off with their 2010 release that garnered consideable airplay, “Greener Pastures,” then kicked into their first cover, Sheryl Crow’s “If It Makes You Happy.” During the set, the band also played their newest release, “Luckiest Man Alive,” which is making waves in the Regional Radio Texas Chart. The band’s second cover was John Mayer’s “Gravity.”
Dillon opened the critique at the end of the set by first eliciting a laugh from Colton with his compliment, “Your fro is so coo, so 70s, it is awesome.” He also called Colton’s guitar talent “awesome.” To the band, Dillon said he loved both the covers and was glad to hear a male do the Sheryl Crow song. “It’s a cool tune.” He commented specifically on originals “Dashboard Lights and “Brand New Day,” and called Dustin a great songwriter.
Coach Joe said that his favorite of The Dustin Perkins Band songs is “Luckiest Man Alive.”
“Dustin, what I like in a band – I like to be entertained with a good voice, good voices, and you have a very good and pleasant voice. I hope you build on that — you can sing.”
Big Gus said he has been watching Dustin Perkikns “since day one, and I like the song transitions. You go from one song to another, a really nice flow.” And, Big Gus commented, Dustin remembered to mention and thank everybody involved. “That was professional.”
Bonnie said the overall presentation was a great job. She too said she was into “The Luckiest Man Alive,” because it has a good hook. Colton’s electric guitar picking was solid, Whitmore said, but then told Nathan that perhaps he should “take down the drums on some stuff and bring it back up on others.” To the band, she said, “Don’t be afraid to get out there and rock balls. Get into the music and love it. You have the best job in the whole entire world up there.”
Sidekick Mafia is a thee-piece band that blends the influence of all three members into one infectuous, rhythm-making machine, the toe-tapping that gloms onto every foot led by Justin Pickard in his lizard skin boots that never miss a beat themselves. On drums is Brondon Esco, and on bass is Matt Brannon, and together they constantly grab and add strong danceable rhythms to every tune Pickard belts out as he also maintains lead on his electric guitar.
The band’s choice of covers echoed their diversity, Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie. 
Whitmore led the critique, saying it’s obvious that the band really enjoys what it does, and that they have been together a while. Collectively, the dynamics between the members make a faboulous sound, she said. “You put your heats and souls into the set, and I can see you as an opening acts for the Indy rock shows.” Her suggestion for change was that they should watch the pickup, because it could blow the speakers.
Big Gus said he wished he knew the names of the songs, but specifically remembered “Natalie” and, he said, maybe it would be an advantage to introduce the songs to the audience. He commented that he didn’t know if the band’s sound was radio-friendly or not, but he did know he was now a Sidekick Mafia fan. “Music is about passion. I am integrity driven, and I hate a sell-out. You guys ae passionate and it shows.”
Going down the table, Coach Joe spoke next at critique-time. “I’ve never seen you guys before, and so when you started out, I thought, ‘What the hell is this?’ But music is totally subjective, what one likes another may not like. As you got going and having fun — and your guitar playing is fantasatic, as entertaining a guitar show as I’ve seen in a long time — and by the time you got through, I was a fan of Sidekick Mafia.”
Dillon talked about the rarity of a lead singer also being the lead guitar player and about the “great syncopated transitions, going slow and them jamming it up.”
Sidekick Mafia pix
This next week (Thusday, Sept. 29) brings Round One winners Twisted Pistols to the same stage against Blackbird Sing. The show will be at City Tavern in Deep Ellum, and music begins at 8 p.m.
By the way, while there, pick up a copy of Vicki Penhall’s book “The Ghost of City Tavern,” a fictional story based on spooky facts documented as having happened at City Tavern. Vicki is the mother of Miles Penhall, a member of the Grant Jones & The Pistol Grip Lassos, who won Shiner Rising Star in 2009.
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