You can be a little bit country and you can be a little bit rock ‘n roll. As long as it rocks. And it certainly did on this night. Country isn’t really my thing, but if you mix it in with the Sex Pistols, and which is basically what Jason & The Scorchers were, and add some excellent songwriting, it most certainly is my thing! To be honest, I was a late comer to Jason & the Scorchers, having discovered their music only 25 years ago via adulation from Ginger Wildheart. And when you have someone whom I regard as one of the best songwriters of all time singing praises of another songwriter, I’m going to take notice. Ginger loved them so much, he collaborated with Jason Ringenberg on a few songs, both solo and with the Scorchers. Of course Jason & The Scorchers are critically acclaimed, with an extensive catalog, having toured the world and played with many bands. Including the headliner tonight, Rosie Flores, who Jason mentioned “blew the Scorchers away with just an acoustic guitar” when they played on the same bill in Sweden. Which could not have been an easy thing to do.
So while the special guest of the night was Jason Ringenberg, it was the other bands who honored him, making this a special night for everyone. We drove up to Costa Mesa and got in a little early. John Surge & The Haymakers were sound checking. In walks Jason Ringenberg and he got up onstage while they worked out a bunch of songs together. They were kind enough to let me watch and take some photos. Sometimes seeing a soundcheck could be a little boring. The band hits the drums for about 30 minutes, a guitar gets strummed for a chord or two and then the band plays half a song to get the levels right. Not tonight! They were actually working through songs, practicing together, as Jason had flew in from Nashville just a couple days earlier.
The amount of talent on the stage tonight was just unbelievable. Everyone on that stage the whole night was just bleeding talent. I couldn’t even begin to count the years of experience that everyone on the stage tonight. I mean Jason’s been around since the early ’80s. Rosie Flores is 74 and we’ll get to more of her later. John Surge & The Haymakers are the new “kids” on the block, but they played like seasoned professionals, which is what they are. They were the most pure country band on the bill, but still had a rock edge to them. Solid songs.
After John Surge & The Haymakers played, there was a short break. Then we saw Jason setting up onstage, so we got back up there. I mean, he’s the reason we drove all the way up here. We had the honor of meeting him after the soundcheck and talked for about 5 minutes about Ginger Wildheart among other things. He asked us our names and then his dinner was coming, so we left him alone. So what’s the first thing he does when he’s onstage? Says “This song is for Ted & Amy, two fellow fans of Ginger & The Wildhearts, and this is a song I wrote with Ginger…” and blasts into an acoustic version of “Mona Lee”. I was completely floored! Then he did a few other numbers on acoustic guitar, including “God Bless The Ramones”, which is a song about an ill fated gig when Jason & The Scorchers opened for the Ramones.
After a couple more acoustic numbers, Jason brought up John Surge & The Haymakers for a full band set.
Sparse crowd, but I think that was a bonus (for us), because it was more laid back in between songs and Jason was telling stories about the songs and experiences which was really cool to hear. Like the time he jumped on a table that was hosting a slew of A&R guys who were looking to sign Jason & The Scorchers, kicking over all their drinks to get their attention. Jason’s manager told him he just threw his career down the drain, but what ended up happening was they got a bidding war with 5 offers from the labels. Then there was the time they played with Rosie Flores in Sweden and she did the unthinkable, blowing them off the stage (according to Jason) with just an acoustic guitar (I want to hear a recording of THAT show)! He even had her come up onstage and they did a duet. Sorry, I was unfamiliar with the song, but it was a good one, where they traded off little quips off at one another.
I should point out that their bassist, Teresa Cowles, has a long list of people she’s played with including Brian Wilson, Deke Dickerson, and Ed Stasium!
Again, everyone was so talented, it was stunning. Anyways, together, they all rocked out on a bunch of Jason & The Scorchers songs and covers including “Bible & A Gun”, “Absolutely Sweet Marie”, and “White Lies”.
Then it was time for the headliner: Rosie Flores. She actually spent her formative years learning to play guitar in San Diego in the ’70s, but resides in Austin these days. Another world traveler with decades of experience, and it shows. She was incredibly charming and knew how to handle being onstage and play that guitar. She’s been in a number of bands, including the cowpunk band Screamin’ Sirens, but has 14 solo albums out with a new one coming out soon. She’s also been on the Billboard charts and been the recipient of many awards including the Peabody Awards and a lifetime career recognition from the National Endowment For The Arts. Oh, and she also was part of the Rock ‘n Roll Hall Of Fame’s tribute to Chuck Berry! She’s been around and she knew how to tell a story and knew how to command a stage. She played pure rockabilly. I don’t want to make any assumptions, but from what I could tell, this may have been the first time she played with her standup bassist. Which shows the absolute talent every single person had on that stage, because it all sounded great.
For the encore, she brought up Jason and John Surge & The Haymakers for a rousing version of “Route 66”. A great night of country, rock, roll, and rockabilly!
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