My cousin Joshua is tour manager for Asylum Street Spankers, Austin’s finest troupe of acoustic humorists.
This fact led to our being placed on the guest list for the band’s Portland appearance last night. It was our first Spankers show and one we could fully appreciate in the intimate Mississippi Studios setting (another stellar room for music).
Darby loved the band’s quirky humor and laughed hard throughout. At some shows guttural bellows might not be welcome. At a Spankers show it’s a form of applause.
What’s so funny? The theatrics mostly, but also the songs themselves. Many of the lyrics are catchy and funny and that’s a powerful combination. Let’s look at an example from “Everyday’s A Parade”:
- I drive a 1965 Imperial
It’s all original with vintage Texas plates
But I’m told if I want classic car insurance
I could only drive it to get repaired or in a parade,
So everyday’s a parade.
Wammo’s delivery of his material brings a lot to the performance. He’s highly theatrical and a born performer. Charlie King on mando, dobro, slide whistle, jug and banjo is right there with him. The two tell some interesting tales that some (not in the audience) would clearly find in poor taste. But that’s part of their circus charm.
Joshua mentioned that King has a new solo album out that he likes a lot.
[MP3 Offering] Everyday’s A Parade > My Baby In The CIA by Asylum Street Spankers, Live at Mississippi Studios, March 13, 2009