Last month Stonic Notes (that's my nom de pen) told you about the Eastern Shore's venerable veteran bluesman Tom Larsen. Last year Stonic Notes publicized the South's venerable veteran (not only musically: he served our country in Vietnam) Microwave Dave. The former returned to the Ocean last week; the latter returns next week. Here's a review of one and a preview of the other.
    First, some old blues news. Messr. Larsen celebrated his thirty-sixth anniversary as a solo artiste, having played his first official gig on June 20, 1979 at The Talbot Street Cafe. I used to frequent the juke joint and it's doppelganger, the outdoor ying to its basement bar yang, AT Lantics. While we're at it, honorable mention to Mellow Beach, another original local music venue, this one a beach bar to complete the triumvirate. But we here at Sonic Notes have no use for nostalgia (a social disease of the soul). Like the sharks that have featured this summer, music must move forward. Thus the new blues news: Tom has been in the studio since April with engineer/mixologist Jimmy Rowbottom, and word on the street and on the beach is that it will bring the fonk. The Brothers Johnson and its bassist brother Thunder Thumb are represented by Pipsie James and Larsen's former sideman Jimi Cozmic Stewart on The Fender Bass, accept no substitute. But in concert, the big news is the addition of drummer Killer Keith Brooks’ No Byscuyts bandmate Elwood Bishop. I've followed the legendary jazz/funk/soul ensemble, which also features Zeliglike saxman Joe Smooth Jacinto and our own Slowhand Howard Wimbrow on Stratocaster, since the nineties, when they held down the groove and the Thursday house band slot at the old 45th street Shark. But that's reminiscing again. Without further ado, on to the new.
    ...and improved Tom Larsen trio opened the Concert On The Beach last Wednesday before sunset, sliding into a Stevie Ray Vaughan- appropriate opening shuffle not unlike "Sweet Home Chicago" before more slippery slidin based on a Keith Richard-like riff. The jam continued with "One Way Out" as its in, continuing with "Shake Your Moneymaker" (Robert Johnson, Elmore James, and Sonny Boy Williamson respectively). And here's where bluesman meets showman. In the tradition of Guitar Slim, guitar Tom crosses the barrier - literally -  betwixt audience and performer, sliding into the sand to walk among us and even using the metal banister on the neck! Gimme Some Neck, indeed…Ron Wood would approve. Tangentially, not only did Slim invade the crowd first, he did it on a bandmate's shoulders (I'm lookin at you, Angus Young), although bodybuilder Larsen's intimidating bulk precludes that trick. Anyf'nway, the Bluesman demonstrated diversity here by sneakin through the alley, er, beach a Hawaiian lick. Nice touch at sunset. Star time now for the back section of the rhythm as Brooks jazzed up the evening. With a boom. John Lee Hooker's "Boom" was in the assembly line of classics, but "Juke Joint Rock" was a welcome original twelve bar harmonica blues. Yes, Larsen has got double barrel(house) guns, the ax and the harp. More relief from the familiar moldy oldies: "Next Door Neighbor" was the showstopper; Byscuyt Bishop's turn, joined by Brooks for mo' better jazz before being joined by the man - yes, another genre the boss is large and in charge of. And yet another: a discofied version of the Mick Jagger/Bill Wyman/Billy Preston number (yep, that's who really wrote it; of course the credit reads Jagger/Richards) "Miss You". I'd like to think this is a sly, wry acknowledgment of/nod to fellow bluesbased guitarist/blues harpist Bryan Russo - I caught his Tragic Figures, which also features the mouth harp (and local legend Johnny Suit on bass), cover the Some Girls opener back on a certain May Tuesday at a certain Fenwick Island bar. But as to the chronology, that is, whodunnit first, I dunno. Another nice touch: perhaps with the aforementioned anniv in mind, the bluesman introduced the final number thusly: "this is one of the very first songs I ever wrote" before returning to  "Sweet Home Chicago"-influenced territory. Affectionately sharing vocals with bassman Bishop.
    If you missed this, what will go down as (fearless prediction) a gig of the year, catch a carbon copy at the Cove at the Ocean Pines Yacht Club on Sunday the sixteenth, another sunset show.         
    Gig of the year, that is, UNTIL...
As alluded to back at the beginning of this piece - which incidentally seems like a long time ago as I write - the long awaited (for a year anyway) return of another bluesman with an impressive resume, Alabama's Microwave Dave with his impressive bass/drums sidemen to rival Larsen's, The Nukes. Y'all may access in the archives my review of last year's visit, a trip the trio makes annually for the mighty White Marlin Open. Yes, bring on the cliche, the trope is true - it's that time already. We are (gasp) two thirds of the way through summer, so grab the fish by the fins - hell, grab your flask by the flank too, as these are West OC dockside events - and catch this power trio at the following boat drink locales: Ocean City Fishing Center (by Micky Fins) at 1800 hours this Sunday and Tuesday (August two and four), and at one particular harbour just a short swim southwest of there at Sunset Marina (at Sunset Grill) at 1900 hours this Wednesday and Thursday (August five and six).
    As The Rock says, finally The Nuke has come back to Ocean City!