Delbert Fields and Lindsey Lea perform with The Thornz at Spillway in Bowling Green, KY. Photo by Pennman. June 2009.

What do you do when you’re with a group of people and the consensus is to go out for some live music? Since musical tastes vary it can be hard to pick a band, and in Bowling Green there are plenty to choose from, especially on a typical weekend night. So what you need is a band with broad appeal; good vocals, good playing, and great songs everybody knows. Well here’s a suggestion: The Thornz will be playing all over Bowling Green this summer, and after checking them out tonight at The Spillway Bar I think you should definitely do so too.

Lindsey Lea is a fantastic singer you won’t want to miss. Backed up tightly by Dana Hester (guitars, vocals), Delbert Fields (guitars), and Rodney Hull (drums, vocals) the emphasis is on great vocals, top-notch playing, and just plain fun. Their set list tonight contained a broad list of hit cover tunes spanning the decades from the 60s on up. But time is not the only thing they span. Several musical styles are effortlessly and expertly handled, including hard rock, southern rock, soft rock, country, blues, and R & B. There really is something for everyone, and if you like to dance you can do that too (both fast and slow). I think the dance floor at Spillway could have been twice as big and would still have been full for some songs.

Does this set list sound as good and varied to you as it does to me? “Black Velvet”, “Born to be Wild”, “Rhiannon”, “Catch Scratch Fever”, “Lights Go Down in the City”, “Have You Ever Seen the Rain”, “Some Kind of Wonderful”, “Sweet Emotion”, “Cocaine”, “Dead or Alive”, “Le Grange”, “Do It All Over Again”, “Mustang Sally”, “You Really Got Me”, “Gimme Three Steps”, “Chain of Fools”, and “Honky Tonk Women”, and a few other country tunes (sorry, I’m a rocker and don’t know the titles) were all performed, and that was only two sets (they were coming out for a third).

Some of these songs highlight Lea’s vocals (I’ll let you figure out the female ones). On others the boys take over the singing (like “Born to be Wild”). But vocally speaking, Ms. Lea is the star. I think if you go see her now there’s a chance you might someday be saying “I saw Lindsey Lea when she was local”. The girl has potential, no question. The band’s MySpace  (myspace.com/thethornzbg) has a TBA date listed for Nashville. She should do well there. Since new country is, in my opinion, so heavily influenced by rock and roll, and Lea can do both, I’m thinking she has two options to pursue, and Nashville is the perfect place for that. So check out their MySpace for all those upcoming Bowling Green dates. There are so many (and some outdoors) there’s really no excuse to miss them. You may be sorry if you do.

Venue Notes: The Spillway is set up great for shows. The bar is right inside the front door but I would call that the back of the room. There are plenty of tables to relax and have some good food and drink (someone said best wings in town!). The dance floor is right in front of the stage, and the left side of the room has pool tables. You should check out their entertainment schedule on a regular basis since there’s always something going on at Spillway. Had a great time tonight.       

The Thornz featuring Lindsey Lea were at Spillway 6/6/2009.

Pennman bought his first 45 at age nine and has been hooked on rock ever since. He has spent much of his disposable income on music, especially live performances. He writes reviews of the shows he sees and keeps a keen lookout for upcoming shows in or near Bowling Green. He has a BA in Communications, specializing in journalism, and has dabbled in music himself, both as a player and instructor. Find more of Pennman’s work at www.associatedcontent.com/user/165511/pennman.html or visit him at www.myspace.com/pennman_bg