There's no place like The White Water Tavern. Little Rock is really fortunate to have it. Walking into it is like stepping back in time. It's a tavern in the truest sense of the word. Ancient wooden floors, neon signs that haven't worked in 20 years, blue ribbon beer for a buck fifty, and stage lighting so old it looks like it might have been used on the set of I Love Lucy. Matt White and company may have modernized the crowd but the setting has stood the test of time. And thank God for that.
Monday night was a great night even by White Water standards. Band of Annuals were in town from Salt Lake and they played a night's worth of fine music for no cover charge. What a deal. Describing themselves as a folk/country/rock band, their sound really is very hard to categorize. Lead vocalist Jay Henderson's voice has been likened to that of David Gray, a comparison I didn't agree with at first but on reflection is pretty accurate. The lap steel guitar is what lends the touch of country to their sound, but the keyboard takes it in a different direction. Henderson and keyboardist Jeremi Hanson (she's a girl) harmonize beautifully on vocals. The interplay between the band's mellow sound and Henderson and Hanson's harmony is really easy on the ears and, quite frankly, mesmerizing after a while. Particularly after the second blue ribbon.
After playing maybe half the set, the band members took a much-deserved break, hung out with the crowd, had a round of shots, and then it was back to the old grindstone for the second half. If you've never heard this band, I really recommend you check them out on their Myspace page and listen to a few of their songs. And if you missed this show, don't worry too much about it. They'll be coming back through sometime in late September, according to guitarist Jamie Timm.
The one complaint we always have about WWT is that the bands never seem to start anywhere near on time. That's not a problem on a Friday or Saturday night, but on Monday night...well, it makes for a helluva rough Tuesday morning. All in all, though, this band was well worth the wait. I'll be back to see them again in September.
-G
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