An Evening for "Hope"

Hey CoolBIRDS its time again for me to bestow upon you the gift of some great music. I know, I know Just wait until you hear about these 3 amazing artists before giving me all your praise. You might want to save some for them.

Some of you know (at least my Twitter followers anyway) that I have been waiting for Josh Damigo's new album "Hope" to come out so it could wow everyone. Well that time is here and I was at the CD release party a few nights ago at Lestat's in San Diego. The party was a big concert with Jesse B. Thomas (not to be confused with the porn star...sorry inside joke from the show) and Keaton Simons. If you didn't get a chance to make the show, this is just a bit of what you missed out on.

The show started off with Jesse Thomas, who is kind of singer/songwriter/rock mixed with some punk, sprinkled with a bit of old country. Take Melissa Etheridge, Billie Joe Armstrong (from the good old days of Greenday not the yuppie bullshit they play now), add the sweet voice of Patsy Cline, and put it all into a small sexy version of Bonnie Raitt and that to me is Jesse Thomas. I was absolutely astonished by the talent she had. While small in stature her vocals and personality made her the tallest person in the room. The way that she engaged the crowd with little jokes and her wonderful storytelling made me happy I showed up early for the opening act, even though she is so much more than that. Her lyrics (that I was pleasantly surprised to find in the sleeve of her new album "War Dancer") are grabbing and playful and with songs like "Fire", "You I Want", "Missed Connections (Oh My Dear)" and my new personal favorite "Sidewalk Ends" (which I believe she started off the show with) I was hooked from the jump. I can't say enough about how much I dig Jesse Thomas's musical style. So I think I am going to let her music speak for itself. Here are a few of the jams I was able to get a video of for you all to enjoy.

*I am only able to post 1 of the videos I shot of her that night because the other two recordings were crap. I think I was too close to the speaker. So here is "Fire" from the show as well as a few from Jesse's Youtube channel that really show her voice *

Next on the mic we have Keaton Simons. I have actually been a fan of Keaton's for a while now, having stumbled upon him a few years ago when I took my wife to a Jason Reeves show for her birthday. When I saw him open I knew he was someone to follow. Unfortunately for me I always seemed to miss him when he made his way to San Diego, so that made this show that much better for me. For those of you that have never heard of Keaton before allow me to enlighten you, his sound is very reminiscent of an era lost. Imagine B.B.King, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters and add the styling of James Taylor & David Crosby, and put them all on the beach and that is Mr. Simons. If you haven't guessed by now he has a bluesy/surf sound that is full of great guitar licks and soulful lyrics that show his strengths as a writer and guitarist quite well. He started off his set with "Lift Me Up" and showed the crowd at Lestat's his crazy guitar chops as he shredded up and down the neck during one of the breakdowns in the song. I couldn't help myself and my head started to jerk along with each note, which I am sure freaked out the people around me and I quickly had to put that in check.

 He then performed his playful tune "Masterpiece" that he wrote with Josh Kelley (brother of Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley) that broke off into a bit of "I've Got a Woman" by Ray Charles and then the "King of Pop's" "The Way You Make Me Feel" and managed to get the rest of the crowd singing along....except for me...I don't do that...lol. He also played one of my favorite songs of his called "Unstoppable" which rocked because I was just seconds away from yelling it out, but I didn't want to be one of "those fans" so when he played it I said "YES" very loudly in my head.

 Keaton also decided to play his song "Beautiful Pain" that I first saw him perform on YouTube with the amazingly talented Melissa Polinar. This was for me the first real listen to something that will be on Keaton's next album (date TBA). If the rest of the album is half as good as this song then we will have a great one on our hands. Especially if he decides to do more of that crazy "throat singing" he did in his final song of the evening "Mama Song". I didn't get to record that one for you because my damn phone died but I did manage to get these ones for you...

Now it's time for the main event, the reason the show that night came together...Josh Damigo and his new release "HOPE". I at this point was at my wits end because my damn phone would't allow me to take any videos only a few still shots, and I do mean a few. My phone was dead and turned off after I took my last picture, but the show must go on. Josh started his show off like any professional showman would....completely unexpected. As soon as Keaton was done with his set you hear the unmistakable sound of a banjo being strummed like a rocker on a flying v. When we all turned to see what was happening, there in the middle of the room was Josh Damigo and his little buddy Rob Deez standing on some chairs and shouting their collabo song "Alright" (the 1st song on the new album). The crowd was automatically hyped up and ready for the rest of the show....and it was a good thing too. Why? Well, Josh got on stage and told the crowd that he was going to perform the "Hope" album in its entirety. Yup. To Josh's credit he did give us permission to get up and go get some coffee or air seeing as how it was like a billion degrees in that little venue. I wish he would've handed out some air fresheners because some of these people smelled like a sun-scorched bucket of assholes due to the heat (descriptive enough for you).

While all of the songs are really good, there were some songs that stood out because of the way that they were performed and the words that he spoke before or after. One of the songs was "Portland", a song about how no matter what this girl did or where ever she went Josh would be in "Portland" loving her. This song struck a chord with my hopeless romantic side, because I know exactly what he must've been going through to write that song. He performed it with a delivery that made all the girls make a collective sigh as they fell in love with him. Another of these "stand outs" was his cover of Jim Croce's "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" which came with a little back story about how AJ Croce (Jim's son) gave the OK for Josh to record it for the next album and even played piano on the track with him! That had to have been mind blowing for him or at least bladder shattering as Josh told the audience that he basically pissed himself when he heard the news (with good reason). There was a simple sincerity to the song that almost rivaled the late singer's version. I loved every note of it.

Josh's song "Never Gonna Let You Go" almost broke my heart from the moment he told us the story behind it (about his brother's coping with P.T.S.D.) and his heart wrenching performance. There were times that he almost broke down in the middle of the song but through strength of his own character, kept it together and finished the song. I had a VERY hard time keeping the tears in me because I have had to deal with many a friend and relative that have experienced this disorder and it is rough....to say the very least. It was a raw, unfiltered ballad that resonated deep within my heart. Every bellow showed a new layer of Josh and really drew me in further down the emotional rabbit hole that is the "Hope" album. He later tried to pick the mood up a bit with his anti-bully/revenge of the nerd song "Knock You Out" which had people laughing and rooting for this underdog kid that got tired of getting picked on, and decided to take a stand when the bully starts to pick on a little girl. The song was full of humor and whimsy and had plenty of playful jabs throughout. He finished his 17 song marathon set with the track "Don't Lose Hope" and wow was that a beautiful song. I don't want to give away too much suffice it to say there were a few more wet eyes by the time it was done.

As soon as the song ended and without a word Josh left the stage to a loud round of applause. I knew the night hadn't ended yet as Lou (Lestat's marvelous sound man) hadn't turned on the house music, which usually happens moments after the final act leaves the stage. Sure enough Josh hopped back on to play his song "Pocket Change" from his "Raw" album. I couldn't believe that he still had more in him. I mean 17 back to back songs was a lot to go through with little breathing time in between. I have to say that shows a lot about the work ethic that Josh has and the love for music that goes deep within him. I think that everyone will truly enjoy "Hope" as much as I do, and while the live show is great make sure to catch him live if you ever get the chance and tell him "The Penguin Gazette" sent you.

Until next time my friends.

Editor & Chief of The Penguin Gazette,
Rudy