The Dirtbombs Bring It

Yesterday Melanie and I drove up to Asheville in a car we rented from Triangle. We got a Ford Fusion. It had been a long time since I had driven a nice sedan on a little road trip and it was fun. We got a pretty good deal and I saved some wear and tear on my little Honda Civic. My car doesn't have much of a sound system either and it was nice to be able to do some good jamming while driving.

The reason we went to Asheville was to go to the Orange Peel to see the amazing Dirtbombs. They are a band from Detroit that are directly in line with the classic Detroit rock and soul sound. Two basses, two drums and standing in front of that wall of sound, Mick Collins.

After we got settled into our hotel room we walked down to The Laughing Seed for dinner. I go there mainly for the honey sweetened berry tea that is to just die for. Not to mention the kick ass veggie burger I had. Melanie got a rice bowl with tofu and zucchini. She liked it but was jealous of my veggie burger which she couldn't eat because of her many, many allergies.

Afterward we went back to our hotel, the Four Points Sheraton. Not a bad place. It has free wireless and flat screen tv's in the rooms. I do have a few questions for those that run the place. 1) You have flat screen high definition tv's in the rooms yet subscribe to cheap basic cable that features snow on some channels. WTF? 2) I was unaware that bathrooms were built that didn't come with fans. WTF? 3) Those benches out in front of the hotel are plastic and uncomfortable. WTF? 4) You used to have a real nice complimentary continental breakfast. Now you don't. WTF? 5) I believe they do make sheets that fit king size beds. WTF? The desk for the laptop was nice, though.

We went to the Orange Peel around 9 pm and caught most of the set by the opener, Kelly Stoltz. Stoltz was excellent. He was one of those nice surprises you get every now and then at a show. Not often do I come across an opening band that interests me enough to consider exploring their output. Some of what I heard reminded me of the Kinks. I think the One Big Loud Guy should go to Kelly Stoltz' website. I am confident that he'll be pleased by what he hears.

The Dirtbombs came on about ten and proceeded to destroy the place. I've seen a lot of shows over the years and last night I saw one of the best live bands I have ever seen. The rhythm section is just awe inspiring and Mick Collins has incredible stage presence. Much like the Drive by Truckers, they were having a blast onstage. There really wasn't that big of a crowd there but they played like the place was packed. I think if it had just been me and Melanie they would have played the same show. They came to play loud and fast and crazy no matter how many people were in that room. It's a shame the place wasn't packed because a classic American balls to the wall rock band like this deserves a much bigger audience. It was an honor to stand front row and yell at a band of this quality. In a just world that place should have been sold out and I would have been near the back wishing I was closer.

The show was so good that I wish everyone I knew could have been there for it.

I took a few pictures last night that you can view here.

Also, the highlight of the show was their performance of Thin Lizzy's "Ode to a Black Man." It was furious and got the biggest crowd reaction of the night. After they finished that song Mick said, "you guys like that one, huh?" Yes, we did. Below is a snippet of a performance of "Ode to a Black Man" from 2005. They just kill this song.