11/1/13 Concert Review - Halloween at Milkboy: Song Dogs as Talking Heads, Ross Bellenoit as Elvis Costello;,Val De Val as Alice in Chains

Those who wanted to extend their Halloween festivities into the weekend were in for a treat this past Friday.  Milkboy invited three local bands to cover well known artists.  And this wasn’t just covering a band – it was completely embracing it.  Song Dogs as Talking Heads; Ross Bellenoit as Elvis Costello; and Val De Val as Alice in Chains.

Ross Bellenoit kicked off the night, taking the stage as Elvis Costello.  Ross decided to pay tribute to Elvis Costello by performing his 1986 album Blood & Chocolate cover to cover. Some might think this to be a risk mainly because it’s not well known. But in chatting with Ross he told me it was just something he had wanted to perform for quite some time and also was attracted to the challenge of performing this album on stage.  Joining him in this feat was  Patrick Berkery on drums, Joe Baldacci on guitar, keyboardist Matt Landis, Todd Erk on bass, and Sonja Sofya who provided backing vocals.

Overall, Ross and his band played a spirited, rocking set. They stayed true to the punk rockabilly sounds that Costello is known for.  There were some personal touches added like taking the end of  “Home Is Anywhere You Hang Your Head” toward a more psychedelic direction.  Another high point came when Pete Donnelly from NRBQ and The Figgs joined the band to sing “Crimes of Paris.” They kept the energy up and had enough left to end with the hit “Mystery Dance.”  I don’t know how much of the crowd was familiar with Blood & Chocolate before that performance, but I wouldn’t be surprised if many in the audience went home to go listen to this lesser known record.

Set List - Ross Bellenoit as Elvis Costello

Uncomplicated

I Hope You’re Happy Now

Tokyo Storm Warning

Home Is Anywhere You Hang Your Head

I Want You

Honey, Are You Straight or Are You Blind?

Blue Chair

Battered Old Bird

Crimes of Paris

Poor Napoleon

Next Time Round

Mystery Dance

Val De Val were next up as Alice in Chains and they  prepared dressed as the part. Check out this classic video below to get an idea.  They stuck to the more well known songs including “Man in the Box”, “Rooster”, and “Would?” They were very impressive in their homage to 90s grunge. It got the crowd talking and I was definitely feeling reminiscent of junior high when the set ended.

Song Dogs then took the stage as Talking Heads.

Americana folk rock taking on punk pop? Drummer Dan Cooper had told me they wanted to choose a band to cover that their fans wouldn’t expect. It was a set they took seriously and prepared for some time. And for this performance, the band invited their friend Matt Chicci from Gavilan to join in on guitar. As much as they embraced the Talking Heads, including singer Michael Southerton’s oversize suit and Matt’s wig and very colorful pants, they showcased their own sound as well. Emily Southerton took on lead vocals for “Road to Nowhere” and kept “Take Me to The River” closer to it's original soul/R&B roots. Song Dogs had everyone dancing and singing along. For their finale, the audience was treated to Lou Reed 's “Sweet Jane”  in light of his recent passing which did not disappoint. Overall, Song Dog's outside of the box risk paid off big time.

Set List - Song Dogs as Talking Heads

Psycho Killer

Life During Wartime

Wild Wild Life

Take Me To The River

Heaven

And She Was

Once In A Lifetime

Road To Nowhere

Sweet Jane* (Lou Reed)
Burning Down The House