Would you travel half way across the country to see a band play a bar in a non-descript strip-mall? If you’ve spent time in Twangville you might consider it. And if it is a Wednesday night and the weekly Bob Walkenhorst and Friends show is in session in Kansas City, you’d be foolish not to make the trip.
As lead singer and principal songwriter for the late, great Rainmakers he built a reputation for intelligent songwriting and with his fellow band-mates, a reputation for energetic live shows. After many years on the music industry carousel and a collection of brilliant albums, the band broke up and Walkenhorst disappeared for several years.
Walkenhorst quietly re-appeared several years ago, releasing an impressive solo album titled The Beginner and beginning what has been a five years-running weekly residency in his hometown of Kansas City. And that is what brought me to KC.
On this particular Wednesday, Walkenhorst and compatriots Jeff Porter and Norm Dahlor delivered a special surprise: After years of generally acoustic evenings, they followed in Dylan’s footsteps and went electric. And electric it was. In fact, guitarist Jeff Porter said that his kids were complaining about the excessive noise at home while he practiced, “It used to be my parents but now its my kids.â€
The set was rich in Rainmakers classics and a few from The Beginner. The stripped down arrangements exposed the mournful edges of Rainmaker’s classics like “Dry Dry Land†and “Small Circles.†The more upbeat “Hoo Dee Hoo†slithered with a bit of swamp boogie while Shiny Shiny†was given a slight swing beat with a touch of retro-50s guitar.
The discovery of the evening was guitarist Jeff Porter. His originals, particularly the country & western swing of “Little Bit of White Trash†were enjoyably interspersed across the set. “I’m a local legend in the town where I live I’ve got fifteen miles of fame,†he mused on “15 Miles,†the title track of his latest release.
Things really got cookin’ in the encore as long-time Rainmakers soundman Buzz took over the drum-kit. The now four-piece ripped through a stellar set that included “Lawyers, Guns and Money,†“Dirty Water†(for the Bostonian in the crowd), Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away†and a raucous version of John Fogerty’s “Fortunate Son.â€
The icing on the cake was an incredible take on Dylan’s “The Times They are a Changin’.†So often the latter tune is played as an quiet and emotionally uplifting ballad but this version was a downright jubilant celebration.
After the last five song stretch, Walkenhorst remarked to me that it felt like he was back in the garage. For me it was one of those extraordinary evenings where artist and audience loose themselves in the moment, the way a rock show is meant to be.
Audio Download: Shiny Shiny (live at the Record Bar in Kansas City, 14 May 2008)[audio:http://www.archive.org/download/bobwalkenhorst2008-05-14.shnf/bobwalkenhorst2008-05-14d1t01_vbr.mp3]
[source: Archive.org, courtesy of Jay in KC]
Audio Download: The Times They Are A-Changin’ (live at the Record Bar in Kansas City, 14 May 2008)[audio:http://www.archive.org/download/bobwalkenhorst2008-05-14.shnf/bobwalkenhorst2008-05-14d2t08_vbr.mp3]
[source: Archive.org, courtesy of Jay in KC]
Audio Download: Call Me Any Name (live at the Record Bar in Kansas City, 14 May 2008)[audio:http://www.archive.org/download/bobwalkenhorst2008-05-14.shnf/bobwalkenhorst2008-05-14d2t04_vbr.mp3]
[source: Archive.org, courtesy of Jay in KC]
Audio Download: Small Circles (live at the Record Bar in Kansas City, 14 May 2008) [audio:http://www.archive.org/download/bobwalkenhorst2008-05-14.shnf/bobwalkenhorst2008-05-14d2t05_vbr.mp3]
[source: Archive.org, courtesy of Jay in KC]
**Photos courtesy of Jim Klasinski.
About the author: Mild-mannered corporate executive by day, excitable Twangville denizen by night.