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Jackyl
Banana Joe's
Pittsburgh, PA
1/30/2001
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Almost a decade after the band's
self-titled debut on Geffen Records, two of Jackyl's original members have moved
on, namely Jimmy Stiff (guitar) and Tom Bettini (bass). Yet, the brothers Chris
(drums) and Jeff Worley (guitar) and front man Jesse James Dupree have kept the
band moving forward, and no matter where the future
may lead them, there are two things that fans will certainly not forget -
long hair can never cover up a redneck, and Jackyl will always put on
one hell of a show. These facts were certainly apparent as always in this
night's performance...
As most know, Jackyl had
taken a break not too long ago for Dupree to record an album for V2
Records last year, entitled Foot Fetish, which sprouted tracks like
"Mainline." Consequently, the vocalist looked to his own band to fill
the gap in Jackyl, recruiting Roman Glick
(bass), who is also known for his time with Brother Cane.
With Dupree now handling the additional guitar duties himself, the band stuck
strictly to Jackyl songs during their set. That is, with
the exception of their short stint during the opening of the set where the
band tends to go wild on trademark guitar riffs introduced by living
legends like Ted Nugent and Jimmy Page.
From day one, Jackyl has made
room for tracks with a sexy groove. So, it is no surprise that they hit heavy
live with "Just Like a Devil" and "She Loves My Cock," and
kept that theme with crowd pleasers like "Dirty Little Mind," and
"Down on Me." Interestingly though, they played their first album
almost in its entirety by performing "I Stand Alone," "When
Will it Rain," "Redneck Punk," and even "Brain Drain"
as well.
Though they did depart from
the debut to fit in the title track from their sophomore effort "Push
Comes to Shove" and their drinking song "Secret of the
Bottle," as well as their opener "Dumbass Country Boy,"
from Cut the Crap, they left out several newer tracks which they had
performed live in the past, like "Locked and Loaded."
Since their last two
efforts have been compilations of sorts, it was good to hear that the band
is hoping to release a new album soon, and that they have already began
writing for the release. In fact, they even tired out a new song called
"Sometimes I Find Myself Acting Just Like A Negro," which Dupree
says was written with a black friend of his about how legendary blues
artists have influenced today's rock-n-roll.
Though it was great to hear
new material from the band, it is clear to see that this track is sure to
be taken the wrong way by most, especially since it offers up a refrain
that isn't too radio friendly and a title that could offend those who
prefer politically correct phrases.
Looking at the new line-up, one
must keep in mind that at times Jackyl had been a three-guitar band. Thus, it is
understandable that Dupree would take over in Stiff's absence, however, it was a
bit difficult to get used to him being so stationary during the set. And though
it did not take away from his vocal performance, he barely ever had the
opportunity to brake away from the microphone stand.
In their encore, Jackyl
included a unique version of AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" that
shifted focus from the classic riff to the band's vocal abilities for most
of the song, and their own trademark anthem "The Lumberjack,"
which closed things down with a bit of lighter fluid, a chainsaw, and some
fire as expected. |
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