Go to this show!
This town has an interesting way of bringing together people, doesn’t it? There was a spell where a band called the Southpaw Bandits played a show or two every month, made up of left-handed artists, Ben Joseph and Matt Wurtele. Hell, they even had a left-hand drummer, which seems to be more rare, with Chase Childress.
From the ashes of those Southpaw Bandits and another popular band, the Bangtail Cats (both bands shared members during their heyday), comes The Golden Monica. An interesting name, no doubt, though maybe they would’ve been better served to maintain one of the old band names for identification purposes.
But, that’s irrelevant. What’s important is that if you count the heavy hitters this band has, you’ll realize that it is near impossible for them to make bad music.
Wurtele, guitarist for Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires, has honed his chops night after night on exhausting tours with them, and it would be safe to say that he has probably picked up a thing or two from being on the road with that band and playing guitar with Bains. Christopher was once the preeminent songwriter in Tuscaloosa while fronting The Bangtail Cats (the band got a lot of attention, played a lot of shows, and got a lot of air time on the radio) and now is back working on original music, which should give any local music fan reason to celebrate. At the the last Golden Monica show, it was apparent that Christopher had gotten both extremely competent and very confident at guitar as well, playing flourishes between lyrics and adding to Wurtele’s songs as Wurtele sang.
Having them play this evening at Green Bar is a good reason to get out. They’ll be opening for Michael Hurtt & his Haunted Hearts, a really cool rock-a-billy act that you’ll want to stick around to see as well. Shows usually start around 10:15 or 10:30, so get there early to see Tuscaloosa’s own The Golden Monica. Latch on to them. The Golden Monica are a great addition to the musical scene here.
Signed,
Wellington Riverbottom
[...] Whore on the bill (and what a bill it is!) on Friday night; Saturday night, Egan’s has the previously mentioned Golden Monica, providing their blend of rock and Southern-fried foods. I’ll again note here [...]