Review: Warner E. Hodges, Beese’s Tea Gardens

There are three things you need to know about Warner E. Hodges. First of all, he is a vastly under-appreciated player, capable of sublime solos and monster riffs, working with traditional styles but making 50 years of wah-wah, tremolo and twang sound fresh and exciting. Secondly, he’s a worker – his day job is with Jason and the Scorchers, but he also moonlights with the excellent Dan Baird’s Homemade Sin. When he’s not doing that, he plays with the equally excellent Bluefields. Oh, and during any spare moment he plays and records with the WEH band. In an extensive career he’s also had numerous excursions, guest spots and diversions, including almost touring with Iggy Pop (he was thrown off the $100,000 gig for turning up drunk to the first rehearsal. The kettle consulted the pot and there was vigorous agreement they were both of a darker than dark hue). Thirdly, he’s a bloody nice bloke – whatever the band name on the drum skin he’s at the merch after the show meetin’ n greetin’ and has won a lot of friends here.

Amongst those friends are Phil & Lindy at the unfeasibly hard-rocking Beese’s Tea Gardens, scene of many a raucous night and many a raucous afternoon at the music soaked beer festival: “One of our favourite beerfest memories is having John E. Vistic on late afternoon a couple of years ago, the squalls of feedback were wonderful, and subsequently made better when we learnt it was audible in Sandy Park Road – one mile and two hills away”.

On a gloomy evening WEH and band blew away the humidity with a hook filled set of originals (oh yeah, WEH knows his way around a catchy chorus). He was aided and abetted by a trio that played with vigour and verve. Jason Knight on bass – whose DNA is surely 50% Tigger & 50% Pete Way – who not only laid out the thunderous yet groovelicious foundation for the tunes, but bounced his way round the stage nonstop. In fact so bouncy is the man, that part of his sound check included a bounce check of the stage. Second guitar Mikael Fässberg (of Swedish rockers Bonfide) is no slouch himself: smokin’ leads and chunky rhythm, as well as the chance to play his own catchy single Parade. Meanwhile, drummer John Pourney (touring drummer with up and coming southern rockers 68-75, and on this night the king of the cowbell) anchored the set confidently.

The music itself is exactly what you’d expected from a musician who grew up in the southern states, whose favourite band is AC/DC and didn’t see punk rock as a threat but an inspiration: chunky catchy riffs with choruses you only need to hear once to enable you to holler along. An hour or so flew by and then it was covers time – J&Ts, a snotty take on Tie Your Mother Down finally topped by Take Me Home, Country Roads performed in the style of Dixie Dickies and ensuring a mass beered-up sing-along. Disappointed you missed out? Well Dan Baird & WEH are at the Thunderbolt in the autumn. B247 will be there – how about you?

For more information, visit: www.warnerhodges.com.

Photo credit: Doug Bearne

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