Texas Hippie Coalition with Rusty Steel, Below 7 and The Dirty Soul Revival
50Fifty Sports Tavern
Johnson City, Tennessee
September 8, 2017
I made my first trip to 50Fifty Sports Tavern in Johnson City, TN this past Friday night (Sept. 8) to photograph Texas Hippie Coalition and it was an eventful trip! You’re thinking with THC involved it had to be an eventful trip and you’d be right, but it was almost a catastrophic trip for one of my cameras. As a rule I carry two camera’s one with a short lens and the other with a long lens. The long lens and camera is my main workhorse, it was hanging on my shoulder when a slightly inebriated gentleman bumped into me rather hard (which is not unusual in a crowded club). I watched in slow motion as camera and lens hit the floor…. He stopped, apologized several times and left. I feared the worst, but no damage, everything seems to be working.
Enough of that, on to why I was here in the first place; Texas Hippie Coalition! I had been looking forward to this show for some time. I’ve been a fan since their third album “Peacemaker” came out but had never had the opportunity to see them live. We (the large crowd and I) at 50Fifty were not disappointed! From the opening riff to the last lyrics that Big Daddy sang the big crowd was entertained! They sang every lyric to every song right along with the band. There was no barrier between the crowd and the stage, so the people in front could interact with the band (you can see a little of that in the images). The fans in front and the band seemed to enjoy the intimate nature of the venue, although when you’re not a very tall photographer you have to be creative in capturing images.
THC put on a helluva show! With Big Daddy Ritch on vocals, the twin guitar attack of Nevada Romo and Cord Pool, John Exall on bass and Timmy Braun on drums they ripped through their set of songs with much vim and vigor! Tracks included Hands Up, Outlaw, Turn It Up and El Diablo Rojo. You need to see them live to hear the story Big Daddy tells about this song! Closing out the night with Pissed Off and Mad About It. There wasn’t a person in the building that was pissed off about the song only about the show being over! But as someone (Geoffrey Chaucer) once said “All good things must come to an end” and unfortunately rock and roll shows are one of those things.
With a new album due out in 2018, THC isn’t slowing down any time soon!
The night started off with Rusty Steel a band from Johnson City that brought a pretty good following with them.
Next was Below 7 out of Marion Virginia. A quality band that should be checked out when you have a chance! They played some killer covers but their set included three original tunes Millennial, Whiskey Baby and FU&YM2. They are hard at work on their debut CD, look for it late this year or early 2018. Check out their Facebook page they have a few free mp3’s!
Taking the stage just before Texas Hippie Coalition was The Dirty Soul Revival from Asheville, NC. I knew nothing about them before hand, but the crowd at 50Fifty that night knew them and their music! When they left the stage I was a fan as well. They describe their sound as “Original Dirty, Funky, Gritty Rock and Roll” and that is a pretty good description. Check out their self-titled CD The Dirty Soul Revival, you’ll not be sorry.
All photos by Tom Biggs at TRB Photography LLC
©2017. Please DO NOT copy or use without permission.
