Other guest vocalists include: Dead Rock West cowgirl Cindy Wasserman, who was Doe’s singing partner during that hell-raisin’ 2007 tour; Veronica Jane, Doe’s daughter; and Margaret Good, the mother of Dallas and Travis.
Not that Doe (shown performing with X in Denver last April) needs any help. His sad-sack renditions of “Night Life” (enhanced by X drummer DJ Bonebrake on vibraphones and Eric Heywood’s achingly beautiful pedal steel) and Kris Kristofferson’s “Help Me Make It Through the Night” are slow but steady tearjerkers that make you feel shot-and-a-beer thirsty. Then on Johnny Cash’s rollicking “I Still Miss Someone,” he could pass for The Man in Black himself.
The Sadies, a musical Canadian blend since 1998, are no strangers to collaborations either, most notably recognized as Neko Case’s live band on The Tigers Have Spoken before co-writing a few songs (including the riveting “Hold On, Hold On”) and performing on her 2006 breakthrough, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. They contributed three original tunes to Country Club, playing fast and furious on the foot-stomping instrumental hoedowns “The Sudbury Nickel” and “Pink Mountain Rag.”
While Bruce Good, the family patriarch, plays autoharp on two numbers to round out the family affair, it’s Travis (guitars, fiddle, mandolin) and Dallas (guitars, keyboards), along with co-Sadies Sean Dean (upright bass) and Mike Belitsky (drums), who handle most of the instrumental chores on the album, which sounds straight out of Bakersfield.
Still, expect their honky-tonk show with Doe to be anything but traditional. Bursting with energy, the Sadies have also been called reckless and unpredictable, sometimes playing up to 40 songs in a set.
So stand back, America. This combination could be extremely dangerous – and wildly entertaining.
Denver show info
• Where: Lion's Lair, 2022 E. Colfax Ave.
• When: Tuesday, July 28.
• Price: $20 (plus possible service charge).
• Ages: 21+
• Doors: 7 p.m.
• Show: 8 p.m., with Denver-born Jill Sobule (the original “I Kissed A Girl” girl) opening.
Extras, credits
• For more tour dates for John Doe and the Sadies, go to their MySpace page.
• Publicity photo of John Doe and the Sadies by Judith Coombe.
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