TheSoliLama.com: The Cactus Blossoms Live Review

Let me start out by saying - I'm not the worlds biggest county fan. In fact I went to Nashville barely a year ago and when I walked up and down the strip and heard that twangy country music coming out of every boot shop and bar - I didn't care for it. It all sounded the same to me. To be fair, I do like some country though. Anything that is somewhat related to rock, pop, rockabilly, etc. that works for me.

With that being said - I have a total man-crush on The Cactus Blossoms. HOLY F - are they good. So good, they brought me over to the dark side that night and I actually enjoyed old time country for about 12 songs (Even bought their live CD after the show)!

I was talking to one of the guys working at the Theatre before the show and asked if he knew if there was an opening act. He didn't really know and so I dug around a little bit and found out it was The Cactus Blossoms. Great. Who are The Cactus Blossoms?

Well, the lights went down and two guys walked up to the mics and when they opened their mouths, my eyes popped and I said, "WOW" out loud. Not just me, but the whole crowd. In a matter of seconds these guys won the audience. It was awesome.

I kid you not, it was like the Everly Brothers appeared and were singing before us. They used the same vocal style as the Brothers - that harmony based on diatonic thirds - but they executed it PERFECTLY. It was unbelievable.

Seriously - I can't believe they haven't been tapped to do a nightly 2 hour gig in Vegas doing an Everly Brothers show...they were that good.

As I mentioned in the Nick Lowe/Los Straitjackets review, these guys took a crowd that was initially sitting down and having drinks and one by one made them leave their seats and gather at the stage. How many opening acts do you know that can do that? Not many.

Their sound was great - Page played an acoustic guitar, while Jack played an old Silvertone. They had a stripped down electric vibe going that they were able to crank up on the faster (what I would call) rockabilly-type tunes and soften up with the slower material.

I was able to chat with them after the show - and the first reference that came out of my mouth was Jellyfish. I flat out asked them how many hours a day they worked on their vocals - because they were that tight.

Even if you don't old time country, and these guys showed up to play - you'd respect them...because they are dynamite and you can tell they've put in the work.

Honestly, the only thing that could have made their set better was if they busted into "Wake Up Little Susie" or "On The Wings Of A Nightingale" at some point in their set.

A wise person in the way of music that I know had an idea for an amazing show: The Cactus Blossoms & Nelson. Blossoms do a set of Everly Brothers and Nelson do a set of their dad's material. BOOM! What a show that would be.

Boys - call me when you do that one! (If not, I'll settle for a set of your own material the next time you pass through town!)

I managed to get a couple of shots of Page and Jack during their set. Enjoy!