Perils of live music: Hello Dave at Forrester's

Rachelle Ellis
DM Live Music Reviewer

If you missed Hello Dave's performance at Forrester's, you are now an official crapface.

This band played an awesome, energy-filled set Wednesday night at Forrester's, playing new tunes from their latest release, Wicked Revelry, songs from their old albums, even playing a surprising, but impressive cover of "When Dove's Cry." They opened their set with the relaxing tune "Mountains" and ended their show with a fun tune "Bimini." The songs were overflowing with good vibes, happiness, and hope; not to mention some impressive three part harmonies, amazing guitar solos from McGoo and a little Hall and Oats for good measure.

The most noticeable part of the show was the different personalities of the band members. Singer Mike Himebaugh, was expressive and fun, sipping a mysterious brown liquid from a bottle between songs and saying "cheers" to the entire venue simultaneously. It almost seemed as though he couldn't wait to get finished with the songs just so he could start talking again.

Then there was the cool McGoo, tearing up guitar solos and looking quite devilish while he did it. He moved around a lot, almost bumping into Mike at times and other times bumping him so hard that he fell to floor, "breaking'' his guitar. Ah, the perils of playing live music.

His body language and playing style during his solos are very reminiscent of the late great Stevie Ray Vaughn. When asked if he liked Vaughn, McGoo answered, "Thank you. If I could just hold his left E string, that would be amazing." Bass player Big Al, remained still most of the time maintaining a sexy groove in his legs, tapping his foot, swaying his hips and bobbing his head like a true gangsta. And though Big Al isn't all that "big," playing is the bomb. Finally we have Rez (not "Rex", all apologies), who is the quietest of the group on stage, but beats the hell out of his drum set to compensate. Rez also likes to teach drums on his off days, he said.

The sound of Hello Dave cannot fit into a specific musical genre. Some would descibe their sound as country or alt-country, others may call it folk, while some think of it as rock. The best description would probably have to be rockish-folky-country-type good, relaxed, on the road, inspiring music. The songs on "Wicked Revelry" were rich with the sounds of banjos and slide guitars, one could even swear there was a fiddle in there rambling around somewhere. No matter what you call it, it was definitely good enough to get people on the dance floor, singing along the whole tune. After Forrester's, the band is heading to Atlanta, Ga., and a number of other places for several more days on their tour. The band tours in a huge motor home and members take turn driving. Himebaugh said this was the best time to hear new music and see the country. The band has traveled to many places, some favorites being Key West, Fla., where they had a few days to stay and enjoy the island, complete with mopeds; South Carolina, where a fan took the band out for a boat ride after a show; and Huntsville, Ala., where the band members went horse riding through the countryside until dawn. The best about their jobs (besides music, I'm sure) is getting the opportunity to travel all over the country and getting paid for it. Whenever this band decides to come back to Oxford, it won't be soon enough.