Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers

I have long been a Refreshments fan.  Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy is one of my favorite albums and while Bottle & Fresh Horses is not as good, it is still solid and a fun listen.  Many people only know of them as the band which played the King of the Hill theme song.  The leader of the Refreshments, Roger Clyne, along with another member of the band (the drummer I think) went on to start a new band after the Refreshments called Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers. 

We went to see RCPM on September 22 at the Showcase Live next to Gillette stadium.  RCPM does not appear to get out east very often or for long, so we did the 1 1/2 drive down from our neck of the woods to see them for the first time. 

The band plays solid rock and roll with a Tex/Mex flavor.  The music is lively, the lyrics are often witty and self depreciating, and the execution is tight though none of the musicians are virtuosos.  Roger does have a strong voice, but often he falls back on hoarse yelling rather than singing which is not a criticism so much as just a description.  The yelling seems to fit, as sort of a punctuation to the tale being told; after all it is rock and roll.

The venue was fine.  The show was not sold out, though I am not sure what that would have looked like anyway since it was a general admission show.  It was an upscale club and we spent plenty of pesos on food and drink (and more drink).

I am not familiar with much of the band's new material since becoming RCPM.  However, they sounded like the Refreshments to me, so the style has not changed much - which for me is a good thing.  Some bands sound very different live vs. on their recordings, not so with these guys as the sound at the show was very similar to the sound on the albums - again good for me.  They played about five songs off the Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy album, capturing most of my favorites, and played one or two off of Bottle & Fresh Horses.  I certainly would have been happy if they had played the whole Fizzy album, but I was happy with what they did do.  They have a new album released this past spring, so they featured a number of songs off that album - but not overwhelmingly so.

Overall, I was pleased with the show.  The band holds up very well live, and Roger is an excellent front man.  There were no surprises, good or bad, apparently with these guys once you know them you get what you expect.  Lots of tequila flowed, both on and off stage, and we all rejoiced every time Roger tossed back a shot and flung the glass backwards over the amps. 

I'll cut to the chase - good show, fun time, cool band.  Go buy the Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy album.  Enjoy it with several shots of good tequila.  Remember what Roger says, "Well, I got the pistol, so I get the Pesos.  Yeah and that seems fair."

Cheers.