Last week I awoke to find winter’s cold spit frozen in the trees, but the ground was still to warm to allow anything to stick. By weekend, it seemed spring was flirting with Atlanta – sunny, temperatures in the 60’s, people walking the streets in shorts, patio parties. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
Saturday I hit the Star Bar with some friends, arriving early to socialize and get a drink or two before Noot d’Noot hit the stage. They appeared to be missing a couple of members – one vocalist, and one drummer/guitarist. I didn’t get around to asking if this was a permanent lineup change or just a temporary thing. Without the guitar in the mix, things leaned a bit more on the bass and rhythm section – which works out OK for a band with such a funky, danceable vibe.
They did a short set, at least by their standards, despite the crowd cheering for more.
The Dynamites took the stage to warm up the crowd with a few tunes before bringing out Charles Walker, who slipped right into the funky soul. The Dynamites seemed a bit slow, possibly jetlagged by their return from Australia, but over the course of the set they got in the groove. Eventually they had most of the room shaking along.
Charles himself turned up the heat, getting girls 1/3 his age to slink up to the stage and shimmy all over, only to turn it back down to a simmer for more soulful numbers.
An hour or more into the set, he wasn’t the only one building up a sweat.
Outside, the night air was brisk but tolerable. When daylight rolled around again there was no way to remain indoors. I went on a Beltline hike with some dogs, She Who Shall Not Be Named and another friend, finding our own light at the end of the tunnel.
Sorry about the scaled-down lineup, I am currently on maternity leave and Circuit Diva is in law school, but I will be back in full force at the final Worming the Starhole with Judi Chicago at the Star Bar in April. See you there!
No apologies necessary! Still a fine show and a good choice for warming up for Mr. Walker.