Comedy and blues night a hidden gem
If laughter really is the best medicine and the blues are a surefire antidote for sadness, the Blues and Comedy Revival was just what the doctor ordered.
In a city seemingly devoid of quality entertainment on any given weekend, the Blues and Comedy Revival delivered something different Saturday night at the Caine Lyric Theatre, taking the audience back some 60 years to a time when music and a good story was a way of life.
Opening for the event was the blues band Blues Blazers, a five-piece group composed of three middle-aged men and two university students, featuring guitar, electric bass, drum set, harmonica and electric organ. Blues and Comedy Revival host Dennis Hinkamp’s subtle hints at the advancing age of the group certainly didn’t show once the group started playing.
The Blues Blazers’ first set was a fantastic display of blues talent. The group moved past the clichéd blues riffs, while still maintaining a familiar sound, providing the audience a treat to listen to.
This group was more than the average old-man garage band playing/killing songs that were a) either never popular or b) should never be covered. The Blues Blazers were, well, hot. Considering the size of the theatre, the group delivered a powerful sound, with each instrument clearly discernible – a feat not always achieved in small halls and in small blues or jazz bands.
The guitarist and bass player, though older, had fast fingers and effectively utilized the length of the fingerboard. The harmonica player was animated and energetic, wailing into his harp.
One of the truly remarkable things was the drummer, who filled in at late notice. The Blues Blazers also featured the talents of the very talented Ryan Conger on the organ, who plays piano in the jazz bands at USU. Great in the jazz bands, Conger was even better in this combo, moving the organ beyond a background comping instrument to provide a sound that added to the mood of the music, and even tossing in a few solos.
While the band was overall good, it did have shortcomings. At times the jam sessions turned almost rock, rather than pure blues, which wasn’t helped as the harmonica player would do power slides across the stage or yell into the microphone at times. But hey, the night wasn’t only about blues, it was also about comedy, so this group provided a two for one.
Perhaps the biggest drawback was the sound balance between the vocalists and the instruments, making it difficult to understand what the singers were saying. Much of the beauty of the pieces were lost because of this problem.
Another small group, featuring female vocalist Joslin Christensen, performed more of the laid-back, country-style blues. This was augmented by the group’s use of strictly acoustic instruments. Like the Blues Blazers, it was difficult to hear Christensen’s voice. While she did have a good blues voice, she seemed reserved in belting out the sound. Included in her set were a number of blues classics. At times she sounded like she was singing at swank Chicago bar in the 1920s, and at other moments the group sounded like a family gathered around the family piano in backwoods Kentucky singing their hearts out.
Interspersed between the music sets were the two comedians. The first, Randall Bagley, who works in the USU Aggie Ice Cream factory, was a straight-faced, one-liner comedian. His purple three-piece suit made him captivating from the get go. His jokes were good, clean fun, taking shots at local life and even tossing in a few Mormon jokes.
In fact, throughout the evening, Mormon jokes were a common thread, though none were malicious. All the jokes were the “It’s funny because it’s true” type, driving home the idea that if you can’t laugh at yourself or the place where you live, what can you laugh at?
Bagley’s best pieces were his visual displays, showing the audience bumper stickers he would like to see, such as “My son is the leader of his gang,” mocking the irritating proud-parent “My parent is an honors student at such-and-such middle school.” Bagley also showed off his favorite short novels from the library, like the pictorial devoid of pictures, “The Tattoos of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.”
A man of many talents, Bagley also juggled, incorporating jokes into his juggling routine.
The second comedian, Dan Merket, wasn’t nearly as funny. A regular to the show, he seemed frazzled and off his mark from the moment he stepped on stage. His jokes weren’t new, and his attempt at playing off the whole “men and women are different” idea failed because he didn’t provide the audience with something new. At times he was funny, but the humorous moments were sparse compared to the moments of brief, polite laughter from the audience.
Overall the event was well worth the time and the $10 spent. After an eight-year stint, the Blues and Comedy revival is over, reportedly never to be brought back. It’s unfortunate this was the final showing of the event. Logan could use more shows like these.
In a city where the music scene is dominated by emo and punk bands stuck on the same three chords, needlessly heavily distorted guitar and whiny vocals, the music at this event was a welcome relief. The comedy was entertaining and the length and price were just about right.
If this truly is the last showing of this event, Logan would be well served by similar venues.
-seth.h@aggiemail.usu.edu