In between ‘twisting’ himself into a pretzel, Brandon Isaac does some fancy fingering on his guitar at the Treasure Cove Showroom Friday night.
By Teresa Mallam
Prince George Free Press
Published: October 28, 2008
Brandon Isaac and Small Town Playboys rocked them silly Friday and Saturday nights at the Treasure Cove Showroom.
I went to both concerts because this band has a terrific sound. For a group that has yet to put out a debut CD, they are masters at giving a high energy show that kept the crowd up dancing.
There is a definite Twisters feel to their rockabilly blues music. Not surprising as Isaac is singer/guitarist for the Twisters, a popular Lower Mainland jump, swing dance band. Playboys’ upright bass player Sam Shoidhurt is an alumni – AND their drummer Chip Hart is a new Twisters band member.
I’ve enjoyed the Twisters whenever they’ve come to town but this new line-up which includes Barry Powell on keyboards, Isaac has a chance to command the stage and shine as the front man.
He dubs his on stage guitar antics “silly” but you know it took years of honing his expert musicianship to reach the kind of comfort level where he has fun with it. Isaac not so much plays the guitar as he plays the audience, always looking for new ways to entertain, like the ringmaster in his own circus.
He shows off, but in a nice way. Indeed, the red-haired Yukon Slim from Whitehorse performs more contortions with his electric guitar than Harry Houdini did with a strait jacket. He plays it upside down, backwards, sideways, walking, dancing, lying down, with his feet – even his teeth get into the act – don’t ask me how, they just do. One thing, he’s never boring.
Many of the songs the band did were originals along with a few covers. Isaac improvised with a few numbers, throwing Prince George and Blues Underground Network into the lyrics.
“We don’t even have a Blues Underground Network in Vancouver,” he told the audience before some chat about playing heavy metal with host Earl Krushelnicki’s son, Adam. The Small Town Playboys have lots of personality. Shoidhurt is on stage at least the “quiet” type, a fine musician with a mop of blond hair who lets his bass guitar and upright bass do the talking for him.
His sex appeal is not lost on clever promoter Isaac who asks the ladies (and men) in the audience if they think Sam looks good (he does.) For his part, Powell laughs like crazy and has a good time on the keyboards and Hart did some heart-stopping solos on the drums.
It’s a very friendly show with two long sets full of good tunes. One of them, My Baby She Left Me, shows Isaac at his fancy, fret-fingering best and I’m A Heartbroken Man, an original tune, was good too.
A Little Bit of Luck, If You Love Me Like You Say, Livin’ in the City and Hard Working Woman were also well done but I the sweet soul injected number, Trying to Get Hold of My Woman – inspired when Isaac on tour in Thunder Bay, tries to reach his wife on the phone – is one of the best.
Tried My Best, an autobiographical song written by Isaac about being a “husband in training” is another good one.
This band not only plays well, it looks good. There’s no ripped jeans, sloppy, grunge-wear or torn t-shirts here but a sophisticated party band that in the case of Isaak and Sam, wore poppies in the lapels of their pinstripe suits. A nice change.
So next time Brandon Isaac and the Small Town Playboys come to town, be sure to run away and join the circus.
And, oh yes, bring your best dancing shoes with you.
