I wouldn't want to trade places with Jakob Dylan, Julian or Sean Lennon or any of Bob Marley's kids. The expectations would be overwhelming. The inevitable pressure on Hank Williams III, however, makes the lot of those men seem like child's play. That's why I easily forgive the erratic performances I've witnessed from both Hank 3 and his father. I can't begin to imagine confronting that family tradition.
On his new album Rebel Within, Hank 3 seems resigned to his family's legacy. Some might view material like "Gettin' Drunk and Fallin' Down, "Drinkin' Ain't Hard To Do," "Tore Up and Loud" and "#5" (a song about heroin addiction) as calculated and cynical. The songs strike me as honest.
My only reservation is that Rebel Within makes me long for vintage Split Lip Rayfield. Hank 3, of course, inherited ownership of this music, but I prefer Kansas country punk to Tennessee country punk.
Still, "If You Don't Like Hank Willams"...
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Fans commenting on my review of Tuesday's concert seem to think otherwise, but I actually enjoyed Korn. Even so, the night's musical highlight came when an onstage DJ played the opening of Pantera's "Walk".
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I'm haunted by Hobo Tone's Slim4Life jingle.
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Jason Harper's account of the demise of the Kansas City Kansas Street Blues Festival is excellent.
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Kansas City Click: Guitarists Rod Fleeman and Dan Bliss appear Thursday at Jardine's.
I couldn't write about Hank and not recommend Friday's lineup of Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Outlaws and Molly Hatchet at Starlight.
Sunday's Celebration at the Station is one of my favorite annual events.
The Jazz Disciples play Monday at the Blue Room
(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)
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