Whispering Pines & craft beer come to Redondo Saturday
The Whispering Pines appear at SoCal Suds Beer Fest this Saturday
A Moment of Veneration on behalf of Redondo Beach: Unbelievable! Upward of 50 craft breweries, unlimited fills, unreal live music, unfolding into one event – just unreal (I mean, are we in Anderson Valley or something?).
Even though the words/lyrics “beer drinkers and hell raisers” come to mind when I think of a southern-esque band performing a radical beer festival like this, I am placated by the depth of Whispering Pines’ music and song. Their talent and sincerity is no match for the traditional veneer of debauched, pretentious entertainment that so often accompanies such festivity. I mean to say they’re serious about producing, and performing, good music (no beer-guzzling, background novelty show at this event). Additional kudos to Redondo Beach on that note!
Whispering Pines seems to be cut from the same cloth as that breed of enigmatic musical characters that is the tough guy-teddy bear, drunkard-romantic, outlaw-sheriff. The Allmans Brothers had their black hearted women and dreams. Skynyrd had their bullets and Tuesday mornings. The Band had their, well – chest fevers and weights I suppose. At any rate, the point is, Whispering Pines will rock and jam your soul out of its rusty carcass, but might just as well perpetuate the oxidation with some tear-jerking ballads.
All comparisons aside; they’re clearly talented, youthful, real deal, and I dare say badass. Their first full length album “Family Tree” has hit the shelves and it’s refreshingly good. In fact, it’s excellent! I always reserve a critical ear for a band’s approach to how they open and close an album; my mental composition book took shrewd note of how effective and classy this “Family Tree” begins and ends. And in between, a flowing selection of delicious fruits. At about 7 and 1/2 minutes, Stars Above is a standout track of perfection – a wistful, slow, jamming trek of longing and beauty – unfolding guitar and slide solos underneath the eternal starry sky.
“A million stars shine above me now. Are they the same ones you see? If one should lead me back to you, would you still care for me? (Stars Above, Whispering Pines).”
I could overfill your mug with accolades for “Family Tree”, a truly fine album, but Whispering Pines have the chance to speak for themselves this weekend as they look enthusiastically forward to help the beer boogie down to your bloated belly.
“…a beer festival in Redondo Beach? [We’re] stoked!” says guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist Dave Baine. “We expect the show to be like getting barreled in waves of barley and hops…the audience should expect a pine log walkin’ rock & roll circus & a fistful of barrels.”
I ain’t sure what all that country talk’s about; but however it goes down, there’ll be slide guitar to get your head reeling while the harmonica gets your head shaking, while the sweet nectar of the beer Gods gets your head spinning. Is there a better Saturday planned for August? This reporter thinks perhaps not.
“Standing by the well, wishing for the rains; Reaching to the clouds, for nothing else remains; Drifting in a daze, when evening will be done; Try looking through a haze…(Whispering Pines, by The Band, 1969).” One can only speculate that The Band’s wistful track “Whispering Pines” was an uncannily premonitory projection of a Beer Festival that would take place 41 years later (in Redondo Beach) with a live performance from a band by the same name as their foretelling track: So Cal Suds Beer Fest, session two, Whispering Pines.
SoCal Suds Beer Fest session one, from 1 to 4 p.m., features live music by Upstream. Check in for session two begins at 4PM. For more information visit www.socal-suds.com. To hear Whispering Pines, go to www.DirtyHippieRadio.com.
Questions and comments to dirtyhippie@dirtyhippieradio.com.