 King Straggler |
 Hit and Run Tour |
Story and photos by Matt Schwenke
Kicking off the Tuesday Night Music Club series of shows, the talent of the nationally-touring King Straggler and the Hit and Run Tour, featuring Arrica Rose, Julie Moffitt and Martha Berner, was on display for a packed house in Lake Geneva, WI.
Starting things off with Rose, Moffitt and Berner playing as a band and then individually, the impassioned singing of each woman set them apart from one another -- Rose's voice was light and airy accompanied by the strumming of her acoustic guitar, Moffitt's voice was dense and sultry accompanied by the pounding of her keys, and Berner's voice was powerful and precise accompanied by her multi-instrument talent behind guitar and harmonica. The mix of sounds and vocal stylings made for a complete package and set the vocal bar high for the headliner.
Quickly asserting their own vocal prowess, Indie-roots-rock band King Straggler's three-part harmonies were delivered with accuracy early in the tunes "Last Kiss" and "A Thousand Miles" off of their self-titled debut album released in 2005. Mixing together well, the voices of singer/songwriter & actors John Hawkes (who portrays Sol Star on HBO's Deadwood), Brentley Gore ("California Dreams," "Breaking Vegas") and Rodney Eastman ("A Nightmare on Elm Street III'" CSI: NY) are uniquely textured and easily distinguishable on their own. While other earlier material such as "The Stranger's Lament" captured the barroom feeling well, it was the tunes from the band's yet-to-be released album that begged for a bigger stage. Whether it was the folk edge of Hawkes, the moody rock of Eastman or the southern grit of Gore, King Straggler smoothly crosses musical genres with the new material, such as "High Wire," and leaves good reason to be anxious for the sophomore release.
Julie Moffitt
Brentley Gore
Martha Berner
Brentley Gore
John Hawkes
Rodney Eastman
Arrica Rose
Martha Berner
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