Mud, Blood & Beer is: Stephen Swalsky (bass), Jon Glover (guitar / vocals), Stephen Sperber (drums) and Jess Hoeffner (guitar / vocals) and last Thursday I kicked off my 2012 concert season with their show at the Lakeside Lounge. (There is no lake anywhere near the Lakeside Lounge. Except maybe in the gutters by Tompkins Square Park in the spring, after a hard rain.)
Anyway, they play good old-fashioned rock and roll lightly infused with country, or else good old-fashioned country with sturdy rock and roll underpinnings, depending on how you want to look at things. However you want to file them, their songs feature everything I like: strong rhythm section, bursts of fancy picking, and the occasional pedal-steel filigree. As an example: their video for Mine the Light, from their brand new record, Gone for Good:
They’re playing a record release show on Feb. 4 at the Bitter End. If you’re in the NYC area that weekend, stop in and check them out. In conclusion, here are some pictures from the Lakeside Lounge:
