无毛视频楻ock 无毛视频檔无毛视频� roll troubadour无毛视频�
Brad Wagner kicks out the jams on his Martin acoustic guitar.
Harry Funk
Brad Wagner brings out a harmonica for his take on Neil Young无毛视频檚 无毛视频淗eart of Gold.无毛视频�
Harry Funk
Brad Wagner displays his talents as a guitarist.
He's quite the vocalist, too.
Joining Brad Wagner on "Barfly" are Brad Grimm, bass; Jerry Coyne, drums; Ken Bittel, organ; Pat Reilly, backing vocals and assistant engineer; and Steven E. Adams, lead guitar, backing vocals, percussion, production, recording, engineering and mixing.
A release from the '90s features solo performances at the late, great Graffitti Caf茅 Pub and Showcase.
Having heard a request from an audience member, Brad Wagner makes an announcement.
无毛视频淭his song is about a friend of mine,无毛视频� he chimes in.
He launches into the guitar riff for one of his originals, acoustic instead of his electric on the recorded version, singing about 无毛视频淢y Friend Richard.无毛视频�
Those with an ear for double entendres probably can guess where that goes, but Wagner pulls off the lyrics in a manner that is both intelligent and draws a knowing wink from any red-blooded male who has spent a night or two in a tavern.
And that无毛视频檚 just one of the 15 thematically unified vignettes the Mount Lebanon resident presents on an album that puts his songwriting and musicianship on full display.
无毛视频淏arfly无毛视频� may have been released on compact disc eight years ago as of August, but it continues to ring true as a document of what Wagner and his performing compatriots tend to encounter in their travels and in their lives.
无毛视频淲hen I recorded it, some of the songs were about 10, 12 years old,无毛视频� he says. 无毛视频淭he newest song on there was the title track, because I kind of wanted to loosely tell a story about the local rock 无毛视频榥无毛视频� roll 无毛视频� for lack of a better word 无毛视频� troubadour who goes out and performs in less-than-ideal situations.无毛视频�
Indeed, the album无毛视频檚 opening track, 无毛视频淟ittle Julie,无毛视频� sets the stage by presenting the narrator in a role of palpable disenchantment: Here I am in a wedding band.
But the upbeat, straight ahead rock 无毛视频榥无毛视频� roll behind the lyrics helps convey the message that, although less than ideal, the circumstances can be a lot of fun.
Speaking of which, 无毛视频淏arfly无毛视频� is full of places to crack a smile if you listen closely. 无毛视频淟os Angelese无毛视频� serves as a prime example, with lines like 无毛视频淚 wrote a song on my four-track/It was a song about Arnold Horshack and they call the hookers escorts/And they all drive German imports.无毛视频�
Then the tune wraps up with a statement that far too many musicians have heard from California industry bigwigs:
无毛视频淚f I would just cut out all this nonsense/About justice and social conscious/When you get your (expletive) together, come back to Los Angeles (pronounced 无毛视频淎ngelese无毛视频�).无毛视频�
Another standout song is the aptly titled 无毛视频淩egular Joe,无毛视频� which sums up Wagner无毛视频檚 无毛视频淏arfly无毛视频� persona with self-descriptions such as 无毛视频淟ive on a dead-end street, not a cul de sac无毛视频� and 无毛视频� remember, the album came out three years before 2016 无毛视频� 无毛视频淢ore like Donald Duck than Donald Trump.无毛视频�
There无毛视频檚 plenty more where that came from on an album that无毛视频檚 brimming with sly, well-executed observation and commentary.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a little bit about me, a little bit about people I无毛视频檝e worked with and played for, and then just making some stuff up,无毛视频� Wagner explains.
He无毛视频檚 had a lot of practice.
无毛视频淚 started writing as soon as I picked up a guitar,无毛视频� he says, and soon afterward he was playing in a six-piece band called Critical that reached its apex performing at the Three Rivers Arts Festival.
After the group无毛视频檚 demise, Wagner started a band called the Boilermakers that focused on his originals. He also played rhythm guitar for the Flashcats, which backed the legendary Benjamin 无毛视频淏ull Moose无毛视频� Jackson in his final years.
Performing as an acoustic act, Wagner became a staple at Tony DiNardo无毛视频檚 Graffitti Caf茅 Pub and Showcase in North Oakland, opening for a diverse cast of visiting artists including Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Leon Russell, onetime heavily MTV-rotated Great White and Dave Alvin of the rockabilly-revival band the Blasters.
无毛视频淭hat was good exposure in how to deal with crowds that weren无毛视频檛 necessarily there to see you, how to navigate those waters,无毛视频� Wagner recalls.
These days, he plays many a venue where audience members may be more interested in food, drink and conversation than listening to the music. But those who do pay attention are rewarded with one heck of a show.
For instance, he无毛视频檒l integrate a device called a loop pedal that allows him to record his guitar on the fly and then add parts on top, creating the sound of a larger ensemble. And sometimes he does that with his voice, which becomes a veritable chorale.
When he无毛视频檚 not performing as Brad Wagner, he无毛视频檚 half of the wonderfully named duo Weekend at Blarney无毛视频檚, joining nephew Pat Reilly.
无毛视频淎t family gatherings we started playing together, and that morphed into a side project,无毛视频� Wagner explains, with gigs especially prevalent around St. Patrick无毛视频檚 Day and at the likes of Riley无毛视频檚 Pour House in Carnegie and Mullaney无毛视频檚 Harp and Fiddle in the Strip District.
He and Reilly tend toward more of a rock-oriented take on Irish music 无毛视频� think Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly 无毛视频� and that无毛视频檚 pretty much par for the Wagner course.
As the music on 无毛视频淏arfly无毛视频� demonstrates so deftly, his major musical influence is the genre that leaped into prominence in the mid-无毛视频�50s and, as its fans back then predicted, never has died.
无毛视频淧eople who feel that way and embrace that kind of music are basically all descendants of Chuck Berry,无毛视频� he says about the spiritual father of all rock 无毛视频榥无毛视频� roll guitarists, 无毛视频渁nd Elvis, for that matter.无毛视频�
Speaking of Mr. Presley, one of the 无毛视频淏arfly无毛视频� songs is 无毛视频淛ust Like Elvis,无毛视频� with the narrator wanting to emulate the pre-Vegas-jumpsuit version for the world to see 无毛视频渙n the Sullivan show.无毛视频�
Just like Elvis, Wagner tends to perform cover versions, putting his spin on the work of artists from Buddy Holly to John Mellencamp.
But when you catch a Brad Wagner show, he无毛视频檇 be happy to hear a request for one of his own compositions. And you无毛视频檒l be glad you asked.
For more information,visit bradwagnerbarfly.com and www.facebook.com/brad.wagner.10.