Stompin' the Hat

Hillstomp brought their hard-driving blues to the Top Hat for the first time on Friday April 15, 2011. To say the crowd was appreciative would be an understatement; ecstatic and blown-away would be closer to the truth. Is there a duo anywhere who plays faster and louder? This is rompin' and stompin' stuff, creating an audience/performer vortex, which threatens to lift the roof off. 

The buckets are plain enough in this image, but you can't see the brake drum and some of the other toys tucked away in this far-from-standard drum kit.

Henry Christian

                                                      John Johnson

Hillstomp gave everything they had for a lengthy set, with much howling, growling and dripping sweat. I think their performance and the crowd reaction gave them some satisfaction. 

The Dodgy Mountain Men were feeling their onions on this night, and deserve much credit for warming the crowd up for the headliners. One unique aspect of this outfit is percussion provided by tablas.  

  

As usual, there are more images of this night on the flickr archive. Each of these bands has a set, as does Black Mountain Moan, the opening band. All three bands have previous coverage on this blog, and at least one set from an earlier performance on flickr. Hillstomp now has five sets on flickr, counting two performances at the Palace and two at the Badlander. 

In a previous post about Black Mountain Moan, I labeled this young man Zak, but, according to his emails, he uses the more traditional Zach. I apologize, Zach. 

I can't end this post without mentioning the "free and family friendly" 6 to 8 time slot every Thursday and Friday at the Top Hat. On this Friday, the Jen Slayden Family Band performed, and as usual kids running, dancing and playing contributed to a very different bar experience from the usual. The Family Band included Jen's son, daughter and niece. They also have a set on flickr. 

Favorites @the Palace

Hillstomp is another group I try to see every time they come to town. This hard driving blues duo plays it like no other, like there's no tomorrow. Their repertoire starts with Robert Johnson back from the crossroads with a new sound and continues through delta blues greats like R.L. Burnside.

Hillstomp's loyal followers packed the Palace for their performance on Thursday, September 30, 2010.

Earlier, Timmy Arrowtop led his band, Birds Mile Home, on stage to open the event. I covered this band in a previous post, and mentioned then Timmy is one of my music heroes.

There is a set for each band in this post on flickr. 

More Butter, Please

Butter opened for Hillstomp at the Badlander on Friday, April 9, 2010. Their confidence is growing to match the strides they have made with their music, and their fan base is expanding. Their performance this night ignited the crowd, and set the mood for a barn-burning event. KBGA directed the affair, which used the entire Badlander/Palace complex. There was music upstairs and down, socializing in the Central and Golden Rose, gambling in the Savoy, and some consumption of alcoholic beverages here and there.

Lisena sang a song (and the lyrics won't be repeated here), which made the hair stand up on my arm. It wasn't the song, but the intensity Lisena poured into it.

The duo of Hillstomp are regular and popular visitors to Zootown, from Portland, Oregon. They play funky, hard-driving blues, and R.L. Burnside is in their repertoire. This night the crowd was so thick, I couldn't move to the other side of the stage to balance photos of both musicians. I'm pretty sure this guy was having a good time.

Previous posts of this blog, and sets on flickr, have earlier coverage and images of Hillstomp. There are more images of Butter from this night on flickr.

Hillstomp Headlines Palace Show

Due to a performance delayed by technical difficulties at another venue, I arrived late at the Palace. I missed the opening band, but arrived in time to see some old friends perform. There are multiple sets of Wartime Blues, including this night, on the flickr archive.

Hillstomp from Portland plays old blues in a fast, hard-driving fashion. I became a fan the first time I heard them play an RL Burnside song. The drum kit features some found items, and there's a homemade stringed instrument or two.

If I had any money, you bet I would have purchased some Hillstomp merchandise from this young woman.

See the flickr archive for more Hillstomp.

Wolf Redboy Opens for Hillstomp

Wolf croons, and Amanda holds it all together, keeping it real.

Badlander's lighting often gives a campfire effect, but a cooler look can reward patience.
Always remember to flash the set.


Hillstomp returned to the Badlander, and people who caught them the first time around, made it a point to be there. It had been months, since they last made the trek from Portland. The drum kit had a few updates. The BBQ lid was gone, and the yellow, 5 gallon, plastic detergent bucket had been replaced with another brand. The air-filter holder was still there.

Hillstomp is a blues duo. There's an assortment of guitars and banjos, some home made and some customized like the drum set up. I went to see them the first time, because they said they had been inspired by R.L. Burnside. I, in turn, was inspired by Hillstomp. They had a lot of drive and were playing hard. They knew their instruments, made them in some cases, and were laying it down.

This time around they proved they are still learning and practicing. I must say they are damn good and do the tradition proud. I love the blues and R.L. Burnside. If you haven't heard of him, contact Possum Records and get R.L., T Model Ford and Junior Kimbrough. They're all dead now, but what a sound. The Possum boys just went out and found them wherever they were sitting, making their music.

Wolf Redboy took the stage first. Amanda and Wolf had it together for an impressive set. Wolf's arias will surprise some, but the sound is cutting edge popular in fashionable Asian scenes. Wolf is ahead of the curve on this one. He and Amanda are very talented, which is one of the reasons I liked them right away. And, again, I give bonus points for originality.

Also, again, I love this town and the music scene here.

And, again, Live and local. Pass it on.