It was a night to come out and be Rockin’ For a Cure, and so I did. The Roxy Theatre in Franklin hosted the fundraiser for the American Cancer Society by inviting four local bands to play the house. Having never been to the Roxy and knowing it had been restored not too long ago, I thought why not? The lineup included two bands I had seen before, but not lately, and another two I had heard about but never seen. Unfortunately I missed the first band, Culture of Creatures, but got to the show in time for Wigglestik and The Thornz, the bands I had seen before. Country band 68/80 was the closing band of the night.  

Bobby Baldwin, lead guitarist and vocalist for Wigglestik, loves the guitar gods and tonight was no exception. Playing tunes from guitar-heavy bands like ZZ Top and Stevie Ray Vaughn, he had the nice touch on “Rough Boy” and ripped through “Pride and Joy”. Backed by the able rhythm section of John Lippert on bass and Troy Mimms on drums, the rocking was hot and heavy. The band was later joined by Billy Barnes (guitar and vocals), and that magically transformed the group into the Killer B’s. After several hits by the Killer B’s, Barnes traded places with J T Gregory, another of Baldwin’s friends, and played a few more. Most surprisingly was Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” on which Gregory put on the falsetto to do his best impression of Stevie Nicks. That one had several members of the audience doing a double take. For more info on Wigglestik go to myspace.com/wigglestikband.

Next up were The Thornz, a local favorite I hadn’t seen for quite some time. Featuring the talented Lindsey Lea on vocals and acoustic guitar, the group ran through a nice set of rockers and country tunes which included a nice take on Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Heart”, guitarist (and on this song mandolinist) Dana Hester doing vocals on “Copperhead Road”, “Wild Nights”, “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting”, and “Living, Loving Maid”. The latter was interesting but I’m not quite sure the song is suited to Ms. Lea’s voice. The rhythm section of Mike Hester on bass and Rodney Hull on drums (and vocals on “You Really Got Me” (Van Halen style)) was solid as a rock. Mr. Hull really varies his style as a song demands and is one of the more interesting drummers around. The Thornz website is at myspaace.com/thethornzbg.

Closing out the night were 68/80, and they do country right. I got to hear a few of their songs and thought their sound was great. There was plenty of twang, some nice deep vocals, and some good shuffle style rhythm; all you want to hear from a good country rockin’ band. I plan to catch them again in the near future.

Unfortunately, all the bands on this night were suffering with a lack of monitors, and in some instances it showed. They were there; they just couldn’t get them to work. When band members can’t hear themselves bad things happen. So there were a few instances during the Wigglestik and Thornz sets where the vocals were a little off key, but I’ve seen both these bands before and that doesn’t happen, so it can’t be held against them. Let’s just say there were technical difficulties and leave it at that

The Roxy is a nice looking venue with a restaurant set in a 50’s décor style, a full service bar inside, and a nicely decorated interior.  The old theatre seats have been removed and regular chairs are set up in the middle section, while the back and front sections have tables and some chairs up front. Can’t tell you how the food was since I didn’t have any, but it looked like a decent menu of diner-type items. The one negative I found with the main room was there is quite an echo, which is not conducive to the overall sound quality. Perhaps a little sound-absorbent material strategically placed would take care of all that. But overall, it’s a nice place to relax and take in a show.

As mentioned earlier, Rockin’ For a Cure was a benefit for the American Cancer Society, so if you didn’t make it you can go to www.cancer.org and donate there.    

Wigglestik (Killer B’s), The Thornz and 68/80 performed at The Roxy in Franklin KY on 3/12/2011.

Pennman’s Picks:

• Local (Bowling Green)
  • 3/31/2011 – Hungry Ears – Worsties at Tidballs
  • 4/1/2011 – Lost River Cavemen at Tidballs, Chuck Wells at Shelley’s Place  
  • 4/2/2011 – Black Shades at Tidballs, Lost River Cavemen at Chaney’s, Rank Outsiders at Whiskey Dick’s
  • 4/7/2011 – Pranksters & Fat Box at Wha Bahs (Road to Grateful Gathering)
  • 4/8/2011 – Great Gatsby Jazz Funk Odyssey at Tidballs
  • 4/15/2011 – Starlume at Tidballs
  • 4/15/2011 – Funk Extravaganza with Deep Fried 5, Felonious Funk and Fat Box @ Capitol Arts Center
  • 4/20/2011 – Canago/Thee Japanese Schoolgirls at Tidballs  
  • 4/22/2011 – Lust For Diva/Downtown Handshake/The Breaks at Tidball’s
  • 4/23/2011 – Locals Helping Local – Peace of Mind, Think Harder and The Karmadons @ Capitol Arts Center (proceeds to Capitol Arts)  
  • 4/26/2011 – Singer/Songwriter Night at Chaney’s
  • 4/29 & 30/2011 – A Tribute to the Eagles – A Benefit for Orch Kentucky at The Capitol Arts Center w The Rewinders
  • 5/20/2011 – Travis Mann Band, Sunday Valley, and Ned Van Go at The Capitol Arts Center
• Road Trips (Nashville unless otherwise noted) ( * = tickets around $25 or less)
  • 3/31/2011 – Stevie Ray Vaughn Tribute (w Reese Wynans, Jonell Mosser, and others) * – 3rd and Lindsley
  • 4/3/2011 – Rush at Bridgestone Arena
  • 4/9/2011 – Boz Scaggs at Ryman Auditorium
  • 4/21/2011 – Bob Seger at Bridgestone Arena  
  • 4/27/2011 – Jeff Beck – Ryman
  • 4/30/2011 – Tom Jones (yes, the one and only) – Ryman
  • 4/30 – 5/1/2011 – Karma Music & Arts Festival *, Berea, KY (Featuring Canago & The Werks)
  • 5/2/2011 – Kinky Friedman * – 3rd and Lindsley
  • 6/4/2011 – Jonny Lang – Ryman
  • 7/7/2011 – Sam Bush * – Ryman

About the author: 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 or www.facebook.com/pennman