Let me begin by saying that this is not my first John Varvatos rodeo, it's my second. The first time I went to Varvatos' now legendary shows, I was a bit further away from sober to really appreciate the acts (Tommy Stinson performed as well as The Jimmy Mclean Band, respectively), who were actually quite good. This time, even though the Heineken and Moonshine whisky were both still free, I was sober enough to pay attention to who was performing, a Texas band called The Happen-Ins.
John Varvatos on Bowery occupies the space that was formerly the long standing home of NYC live music staple CBGB's. Infact, if you go to the clothing store you will notice a few things still remain from those good old days. Varvatos, as well as EP around the corner, does everything in his power to make sure the idea behind CBGBs doesn't die: great live music. So about once a month the designer clears out the space for a big jamboree, complete with a musical act or two and a bunch of free booze. The event is free every time, and it goes off without a hitch just as frequent. Now on to the show...
The Happen-Ins are another of the many bands that I go see that I've never actually heard prior to seeing the perform, and they now go into that ever growing group of bands that I now like. These guys have an old school vintage sound, 60s rock at its finest with a touch of rockabilly. Great guitar solos and their lead singer has a voice that carries their music well. Their show was short and sweet and they even had time for an encore which I thought was pretty cool. I'm always glad to hear young artists play music that may have a sound that's years older than they are, and do it well. The show was over by 10pm (it started at around 9pm or so) and I felt like it was too soon. I wanted to hear more of their stuff. I'm a huge fan of that kind of rock music and would love to hear The Happen-Ins again sometime. You should definitely check them out if you are as well.
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