Monday, June 11, 2007

Dexter Romweber and Robbie Fulks

Thursday I was able to catch the first set by Dexter Romweber, who played solo at Sadlack's. Dexter is truly one of this area's legends. I've long said that Jack White ripped off at least part of his schtick from Dexter. I prefer him in a duo, because then he really gets crazy, but solo is good too. Here's the video.

Dexter Romweber from Mann's World on Vimeo.

Dexter started at 7, which allowed me to run over to the Hideaway and catch a packed show by Robbie Fulks. I'd never seen Robbie before, and honestly I think he's a bit too much of a novelty singer for me. But he is a damn fine player. When he just simply played, he was awesome. I couldn't get any photos in the Hideaway, but I did get two videos, including one of Robbie and Terry Anderson.

Robbie Fulks from Mann's World on Vimeo.

Another one by Robbie Fulks from Mann's World on Vimeo.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

funny just found this, i was there too, and was one of 4 or 5 people left at the end of the second set, where did everyone go? even the stumble bump drunks vanished?

if jack white learned from dex, dex certainly learned from buddy holly and chuck berry....

certainly up to this point, jack white is one of the few truly possessed live musicians on this planet, but my opinion has been formed in the small clubs that i saw him perform 3 or 4 times. Now that he's up to MSG and beyond, we'll see....maybe in 15 years we'll be catching his solo act at Sadlack's, too....

Anonymous said...

my review, cheers, matt

part 2
I quickly realize Sadlacks is a bar disguised as a sandwich shop, a damn small bar with lots and lots of stools for the hardcore drinkers to stumble up to. It's also across the street from NC State but school is out for the summer, the place is still relatively packed and it's somewhat easy to see who's there for the music and who's there for the drinkin. I wound up being there for a quite a bit of both. The night was a long two sets.

The night started in Mario Andretti fashion, a man in his tricked out muscle car, entertained the patio crowd with his redlight rubber burning. He seemed to think it was funny, the crowd seemed mocking, it was weird start to the evening, my fatalist instinct is this guy is going to hurt someone some day.

The show indeed started at 7 PM, It's not even sunset yet, I'm about 15 minutes late. Dexter is solo in the corner, sunset over his shoulder.

He rattles off 3 minute song after 2 minute song. His setlist; a sheet torn from a notebook with countless songs scribbled in neat but choppy rows.

I maneuver to a spot by the door, behind Dexter who is stuck in the corner, his microphone is held together with duck tape.

The songs come fast and I checked the crowd:

One guy is a dead ring for Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

A guy from France who was in town on business. I freaked him out in the bathroom, he was friendly but didn't quite get my Buddy Holly connection : )

A relatively bored hipster with big fly-eye sunglasses from what appeared to be the Gloria Vanderbilt Collection, his hat stolen from a middle aged mom at the beach (plastic flowers removed). When it got dark, he took of his ensemble and looked completely different. His bored, girlfriend had a on Megadeath t-shirt -- in a stab of ironic hipster couture.

The set break came and I went out to the patio to ask Dex if his band, Flat Duo Jets, played Athens, GA Inside/Out as I remembered, he jovially said yes, then tried to end the conversation, a woman was with him, and I think she judged my book by my cover.

I waited at the bar where I met Charlene, she was there for the beer, and scraped together 2.75 for one last one. She was a regular and pointed out to me that an elected representative who was also hanging out. Charlene works for the court downtown, she had a rough day, but she gave me her number, then left.

The crowd was super thin by now, Dexter is a great guitarist, but has little stage presence. He dresses like he working a catering gig.

He rips through song after song, consulting his set list in between.

But by the end, Dex forgot about his list and just jammed, maybe 10 or 15 more songs, half intricate instrumentals, before he finished. He already played so many songs, he could have been repeating himself for all I remember.

I was pretty tipsy, the Sierra tasted better than ever, Sierra being the prefered long ago beer at Fillmore/Warfield gigs.

The night ended with the waitress swinging from the rafters. And me sneaking out the back door, Dex comments towards the end were all about selling cd's. He had a paper grocery bag behind him.

I'm not sure why it creeped me out, but it did. I can't decided if he was going through a routine honed over 20+ years or he was directing his comments towards me, I was pretty much the only "fan" left in the place. I would have bought a cd but I drank all money.

I still wanted a souvenir of the concert, the setlist looked out of the question unless I purchased a disk and I didn't spy any posters, the one photo I saw was already gone. So I took a piece of chalk from the bathroom, and lodged it next to the little orange haired guy my friend Tina sent me..... just above Joan Jett's guitar pick I snagged at one of her Bottom of the Hill gigs...

I'm coming to a second absolute rule of the concert. The first is anywhere you stand, there will be someone taller than you standing in front of you, unless you are in the front row.

And now, 2, the second, the fewer people at a show, the more fun I will have, fewer people equals fewer smokers.

i went to see Dexter Romweber, from flat duo jets a
few days ago, great music, but by the time he finished
up, i, along with 4 or 5 of his friends, were the only
ones left!

part 1
at the end, the waitress got up to dance on the bar
and she literally swang from the rafters, the place
was tiny and if she slipped and fell, she easily could
have wiped out dexter himself, dexter seemed to thrive
as more people left, it was a long night of solo
guitar ...