It was an eventful first week of December at the premier live music venue in Plymouth: Ernie’s Club Hong Kong. For those of you shaking your head in utter disbelief at my previous statement, put down your eggrolls and walk upstairs- the Kong has more live music than any other bar in town. Last week Ernie’s hosted two of New England’s up and coming bands in a two night run that will go down in history.
Jatoba, a self-proclaimed “groove-grass” acoustic power trio from Brattleboro, VT, played to a packed house on Thursday night. This was their first non-party Plymouth performance and they pulled out all the stops. Consisting of John Jamison (guitar, mandolin and sitar), Jason Scaggs (guitar and banjo) and Jeff Richardson (bass). Jatoba blazed through two sets full of high-energy originals with some unique and cleverly arranged cover tunes.
Most impressive is the bands ability to listen to and play off of each other while jamming, especially after only two years of being together. This combined with the great vocal harmonizing, tightly executed composed sections and phenomenal stage presence kept the crowd dancing all night. Highlights of the show included the banjo segment and a beautifully played cover of “Rift”, one of the most favorited Phish songs. Other awesome covers during the night were “Eleanor Rigby,” “Billie Jean” and an exceptionally original rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Ramble On.” By the end of the night, both Ernie and the band knew that this was the first of many Jatoba appearances at the infamous HK.
Ernie continued to bring the heat Friday night with The Weird Beards from New London, CT. The brainchild of Brian Skidmore (ukulele, harmonica), the Beards sing anthems provoking imagery of robots, extra-terrestrials, super heroes, super villains, crustaceans and,well, of course, weird beards. Backed by Jay Silva (guitar, percussion), Jake Kaeser (bass), “Pango” (trombone) and Tim Donnel (drums), Skidmore’s novel vocal stylings bring these images to life in what is more of an “experience” than your average rock show. There were in fact reports of robots running rampant during their set at Hong Kong, likely a first for Ernie’s establishment. The Weird Beards’ shows are notable for reasons other than unruly robots. Their music is extremely original and thus impossible to classify; the best I can do is say they are alterna-uke-rock. Their unique blend of non-traditional instrumentation, non-traditional song structures and over-the-top energy and antics make The Weird Beards a must see for anyone who doesn’t fear the weird.
Be sure to frequent Ernie’s Club Hong Kong for all your live music needs and check out either of these great bands when they make their triumphant returns to Plymouth.