Dirtfoot | George's Majestic Lounge | Fayetteville, AR | Review

There aren’t really any proper words in the English dictionary to describe a Dirtfoot show. However, due to my lack of knowledge of other languages (with the exception of Hermano [thanks, Arrested Development!] and countless useless German words) I am going to attempt to describe Dirtfoot using the English language. The best start is probably using the band’s personally adopted descriptors: Gypsy Punk Grumble Boogie, which is basically spot-on.I’ve been to many Dirtfoot shows, and each one has been a barrel of fun + beer. But Friday night’s show at George’s Majestic Lounge was a barrel of fun + beer + new songs – which was the perfect close to a week of working for The Man. While the show wasn’t all new songs, most of the tunes they played I hadn’t heard before. Of course, they played classics like ‘My Girl’ and ‘Rest My Head,’ which have become sing-alongs for most audiences Dirtfoot plays for.The new songs they played were tracks like ‘Sake of the Sound’ and ‘I Am a Man’ – most of which were slightly less raucous than their classics, and I thought they were stylistically deeper and more intricate. The mix of new and old songs was perfect for the smaller audience that attended the show. We danced and sang along when we could, and enjoyed new songs when they popped up.  The songs I didn’t know were a bit different than those I have heard, most notably they had a bit more musicality mixed in. Scott Gerardy (Saxophone) played more solos than I remember from other shows and J Bratlie (Banjo/Vocals) rocked really hard! I was excited to experience more of each member’s talents during this set, and the newer songs lend themselves to a more complex sound and some interesting lyrics.

Dirtfoot‘s perfect Friday night set also included a quick jam between the percussionist Daniel Breithaupt and drummer Derek Russell. And a surprise (to me) guest, came onstage for a few songs and enhanced them with her clarinet stylings. To be honest, I’ve always been fairly disappointed that bands don’t feature more symphony instruments onstage. The ability of classic instruments to enhance modern music is vast, often compelling and adds a lot of depth to any sound.Hearing the new songs Dirtfoot is starting to produce really makes me believe in their future success. The band is using a Kickstarter campaign to help produce their new album, so if you feel the same way as I do, be sure to donate anything you can to help. And if you can’t donate anything now, the least you can do is tell everybody you know about Dirtfoot. Unique bands like Dirtfoot deserve to be supported by their fans – they are the lifeblood of musicians (or at least the gas in the van…).

Check out more photos from the show.