Wayne "The Train" Hancock

Things have been quiet around here this summer. That’s not to say that there haven’t been music shows — there have been some good ones — but there’s been a particularly lazy vibe about for the last few months. The days are long, hot and humid; the nights are short, restless, hot and humid; and people just don’t seem to be in any hurry whatsoever. Which is all good. Frankly, I couldn’t think of a better environment in which to witness the easy going Southern stylings of Texas native Wayne "The Train" Hancock and his band of juke joint country kings.

Hancock plays what has been aptly titled "juke joint swing music," a mixture of old country music, swing rhythms and rockabilly attitudes with Southern charm and a down home aesthetic that simply states honesty; the undeniable hook of comfortable country music without any big money pretentiousness clouding the music or the attitude behind it. On this night, Duffy’s, that little tavern on the corner of 4^th and Main streets, was transformed into an honest-to-goodness honky-tonk, and the place was packed to the rafters with folks of all ages and walks of life to witness the show. And it was a show.

At the evening’s outset, 8 PM, Wayne The Train warned the crowd that he’d been used to playing two- and three-hour shows if the spirit moved him, and it wasn’t long into the first set of the evening that he unabashedly announced that he and the boys would be playing straight through to 2 AM. The band — comprised of a standup bass, double neck electric guitar and lap steel guitar, as well as Hancock on acoustic guitar — didn’t seem to mind the idea of playing all night — they were, after all, there to play — and the audience, those who hadn’t fled the sweaty heat of the room after the first hour, removed chairs in the front for dancing space and settled in for a long evening.

Throughout this powerhouse six-hour set, the capacity crowd was treated to tunes from all three of Wayne The Train’s albums, Thunderstorms & Neon Signs, That’s What Daddy Wants and Wild Free & Reckless, as well as covers of old favorites like "Route 66" and Johnny Cash’s "Folsom Prison Blues," among others, all with the easy professionalism of a band that’s been playing in honky-tonks and juke joints for years. The most striking thing about this show, though, were the interpretations of the music in a live setting. Not that there’s a huge difference between the instrumentation of the music on the albums — an accordion here, a drum kit there, horn accompaniment, etc. — and the live setting, in which there is a standard line-up, but the subtle variations, which in some cases might be thought of as limiting, create whole new worlds of musical explorations.

Also, the way Hancock runs the stage puts an improvisational spin on things. After the first verse or second verse of any given song, The Train would call out "Aww, Wakefield!" or "Take it TK!" calling on his steel and electric players (respectively) to tear off into their solos. It made for an exciting musical environment, and the players on stage with The Train were of the highest caliber, especially Jeremy Wakefield. His laid back approach to the steel guitar masked fierce technical ability and real soul. In fact, the whole band oozed this easy-going, on-point personae — it was all about fun, and the talent, the ability to play perfectly without pause, is only second nature to these guys. Yeah, they’re good, they agreed with the adoring fans, and shrugged their shoulders.

Bookmark: