Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at PhotobucketWhen the Taylor Hicks tour band was announced last winter, the blues-drenched resume of guitarist Josh Smith caused a mild tremor along some major fault lines in the Hicks’ fanbase. Early warning signs were not in error. No matter what else happens at a show, when the Caribbean waves finally crash and ebb at the end of Hold on to Your Love, it’s a sweet Smith blues riff that floats you home.

If you’re one of the lucky ones going to the Pompano Beach tour stop this Saturday, you’ve got a great chance to double-dip: the South Florida native will be reuniting with his old crew for an afterhours show, joined by THB sax player Brian Gallagher. The lowdown:

08/25
Taylor Hicks and company
Pompano Beach Amphitheatre, Pompano Beach, FL
7:30 pm

Josh Smith and friends (Frost?) (w/ Brian Gallagher)
The Poorhouse
110 SW 3rd Ave, Fort Lauderdale, FL
11pm

But if you’re like me and can’t make it, you can get more of Smith on his new CD, Deep Roots. Here’s just a couple of cuts, but the whole thing is fine. You can get it at the usual spots, like iTunes and CDbaby:

Goin’ Out Tonight

The Way You Do

And now some guitar-geekitude from the tube:

Interview and gear talk

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More hot licks

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Dude’s got his own musical vision, but he seems to be enjoying this stint as a sideman as well, according to a recent interview:

The cool thing about Taylor is that even though he won “American Idol,” which is the opposite of what he is, he grew up playing blues joints and dives in Alabama. He understands what it takes to pay his dues. I didn’t watch “American Idol,” so I didn’t know much coming in. But he’s a really cool singer and harp player, and is just a normal dude.

Personally, I’d be very happy to see him stick with Hicks and bleed some more of his blues into the show. Judging by this album, I could even imagine some collaboration on the writing front.

And finally, some yin and yang:

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categories: live, music