Burnside treats with a return

After Tuesday night at the 'Sco, R.L. Burnside won't drink no more, 'less he's by himself or either with somebody.

The live crowd at quarter beers got a special treat that night as blues and drinking witticisms shook up what is normally just another beer social. Backed by his grandson Cedric Burnside on drums and his second guitarist Kenny Smith, Burnside and opening act T Model Ford took turns dealing out the melancholy licks of loss and riling the crowd with numbers that remind you of rock and roll's evolution from the blues.

In a time when even the do-it-yourself indie bands seem standoffish from the Oberlin crowd (see Shellac), the Tuesday lineup virtually smashed the crowd barrier. You could tell it was going to be a fun night when Spam, the drummer for T Model Ford started hamming it up for his audience, holding one drumstick in his teeth like a rose and waving with his free hand. T himself got on a crutch and gingerly stepped into the crowd for some conversation after his set, and sat talking to students until the 'Sco shut down.

Burnside played a well-remembered show at the 'Sco last year - a show that stood out as something different from the regular concert feature. But that show was five dollars. Tuesday was free, beers were a quarter, and a happy crowd soon gathered. The whole arrangement was fortunate for all sides - the quarter beer crowd got the best Tuesday night entertainment in recent memory and the bands got a guaranteed packed (and cheery) crowd. As well as the bands did, the audience did their best to up the ante, dancing all night on the same floor that supports stoic listeners during most rock shows. One woman decided to celebrate her 21st birthday with R.L. and stepped onto the stage to tell him so. The crowd half gasped and laughed as Smith offered up some birthday spankings.

If T Model's Greenfield, Mississippi style could be called "traditional blues," Burnside's flavor was definitely leaning more toward the progressive rockin' end of the spectrum you wouldn't expect from a 71-year-old blues guitarist. But Burnside has long appealed to young rock fans in a way that many blues musicians, for whatever reason, have not. This most likely stemmed from his alliance with Jon Spencer, who has both covered and collaborated with Burnside since 1995. Spencer is featured on Mr. Wizard, Burnside's 1997 release, which found its way as a blues cross-over into the indie-rock market. Perhaps the appeal has something to do with the raw nature of the album's production, maybe it's the fast and hook-laden drumming.

But it is difficult to categorize Burnside as "rock" by any stretch. The genuine nature of his music and the authority that flows from several decades at the guitar has a way of erasing the question of genre, though it should be clear from the start that despite Mr. Wizard's success with rock consumers, despite the furious drumming, despite the zipper effects on guitar, his is a blues band.

Burnside, who spent most of his life as a farmer and fisherman, has been playing what bluesologists call "electric delta blues" in Mississippi juke joints since the '60s, but his recording career spans only back to 1991, with Bad Luck City, released on Fat Possum records. The Delta Blues he plays could be described as more churning or machine-like than more commercially familiar blues, with a rhythmic intensity that some would describe as hypnotic. Though Burnside did perform a couple songs solo, the set was highlighted by his grandson's fierce timing on drums. In fact, the raging drum solo during the last song was worth the trip in itself. The driving character of the Delta Juke Joint Blues was best revealed in "you gotta move" and "Highway 7," both fine fast tracks off of Mr. Wizard.

Musicology aside, the show kicked-ass in a way that few can, with a mixture of excellent music, a delighted crowd, and playful bands. "Well, well, well," Burnside called, "I enjoyed every minute of tonight and I hope you all did too." We did. If having Burnside play the 'Sco two years in a row is the beginning of a trend, you're not likely to hear any complaints on this campus.

Singing' the blues: R.L. Burnside played to the Quarter Beer crowd at the 'Sco last Tuesday. (photo by Zach Fried)