By: Cyn Collins
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The Worn Out Shoes are Donny Moon (guitar) and Duane McIntyre (drums) - Photo by Dan Schultz (mordac.org)
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"Snaky Blues from the Worn Out Shoes"
Hot, dirty blues. Heavy and thick as the Mississippi air. Dark riffs and rhythms that hit you in the gut. And the groin. Primal blues that snake into your soul and awaken the urge to dance with wild abandon.
That was the spirit at the Hexagon as The Worn Out Shoes played their brand of old blues to a crowd, many of whom couldn't resist shaking their hips and stomping to the shaker rhythms. I once heard a from a John Lee Hooker song: "It's in him, and it's got to come out." That applies well to both the slide blues guitar of Donny Moon and heartbeat rhythms of Duane McIntyre's animalistic drums.
From the first song, the show appeared to be an ode to New Orleans and Mississippi as the band played songs tinged with sorrow and loss, yet still wildly free and sex-drenched -- Moon’s guitar full of relentless building tension and sweet release. Donny Moon dedicated a song to one his major influences, Mississippi's own R. L. Burnside, who died September 1st. (and who I learned later inspired
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Worn Out Shoes Donny Moon - Photo by Dan Schultz
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their first song). Moon’s guitar and singing style are mainly inspired by Burnside and Fred McDowell, old Mississippi bluesmen. Burnside was a staple of Fat Possum Records the label to which the Worn Out Shoes recently got signed, joining the ranks of luminaries such as Solomon Burke, Junior Kimbrough, Furry Lewis, Freddie King, and hot newer artists such as personal favorites The Black Keys, Grampaboy, Heartless Bastards, and post-punk band We Are Wolves.
It was a mind-blowing show full of crazy pauses and transitions that caused people to dance wildly as though possessed, taken by the spirit of the thing.
I now truly understand why Hex booker Chris Dorn has been recommending these guys most highly for so long, and I feel remiss that I've missed earlier shows. (I won't let that happen again!) Catch them as you can when they're in town as they're from 3 and a half hours away near Viroqua, WI. Now that they're with Fat Possum it may become harder to see them once they begin touring the nation.
Location Info:
Hexagon Bar
Artist Info: Worn Out Shoes
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