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It was a show that was a little bit country and a little bit rock 'n' roll, but there were no musical hacks like Donny or Marie Osmond to be heard as Three Fingers Whiskey headlined at Off Limits on Friday night.
The show opened with an acoustic set performed by the clean-cut country cowboy duo Dave Gleason and Mike Therieau. While the two strummed along on their guitars, Gleason took lead vocals as Therieau took on the high note harmonies and made love to a harmonica strapped around his neck. Much of their lyrical content was reflective, while their music was melodic - nothing audience members could really get up and dance to. Their last song was almost comically long. It felt as if it was something ripped straight from the mockumentary "Spinal Tap" as the two shouted back and forth "listen to the wind" for what seemed like an eternity. Some audience members started looking at each other as if to ask, "Is this song ever going to end?"
The next band was a change of pace as the Los Angeles rock band ADHD took the stage with a sense of purpose and passion mixed with graceful inebriation. Twirling his microphone stand around on stage, front man Mikey B's antics were crazy; he often left the stage to sing on the floor where audience members were dancing. The lead singer admitted that his pre-show festivities had involved a heavy amount of tequila and whiskey, but he was still able to give a great performance.
At one point Mikey B took out and lit his Zippo cigarette lighter and spit some alcohol onto it, creating a fireball in the middle of the room. Though the band's name might lead people to believe it isn't focused on its music, ADHD's guitarist Mike Shock offered an amazing display of talent as he worked his fingers up and down the fret board performing some stellar guitar solos throughout the night.
Bay Area band Mr. Cliff Greenwood and The Monsterz was next on the bill and fused together a unique flavor of country-folk and punk rock for the crowd. After his first song, Greenwood gave cheers to the audience.
"I'm a whiskey sipper these days," Greenwood said. Then he sipped lightly on his shot glass.
Greenwood's scratchy vocals and the band's upbeat tempo were impressive.
The band's lyrical content was humorous at times, especially in its song "Moron to Boron," which is about running out of gas in Boron, Nev., while trying to get to Las Vegas. The driver winds up at a broken down motel where the beds don't even have any sheets.
Then it was time for the headliners to take the stage. Three Fingers Whiskey was all country-western rock, and it didn't mess around. Jason Beltz, the lead singer and guitarist, was very talented with some great howling guitar solos, but Beltz didn't crack a smile the entire show. Maybe he was nervous, but letting loose and dropping the rigid cowboy machismo may benefit his onstage performance. However, backup singer Lindsay Pena didn't have any problem letting loose as she twisted her hips and stomped her feet around stage as the band played its honky-tonk repertoire. Three Fingers Whiskey put on an impressive country rock show, throwing out any boring ballads and sticking to its boot-scootin' tunes. Though there was plenty of whiskey to go around, the only things missing from Three Fingers Whiskey's Off Limits show were a few haystacks and some baby-back ribs.
Mike Murphy can be reached at mmurphy@theorion.com
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