Phil Lee Live at the Double Door Inn Charlotte, NC Jan. 4, 2002 by David Pilot
	On the tail end of what amounts to a blizzard in Charlotte (one whole foot of snow!), the Mighty King of Love blew into town to rock the Double Door Inn. Phil and I talked on the phone the day before the show, and he cussed and wondered whether the venue would even be open-the whole damn town was shut down. We made fun of no-driving Charlotteans for a bit, then decided that I'd be there for sure and we were pretty sure some other drunken fools would slide on in as well. As it played out, the roads were decent by Friday evening, and a crowd did, indeed, make the drive. Nick and Betty Karres unlocked the doors and the night was on. Local band The Stragglers opened up and proved beyond a doubt that Bob Wills IS still the king. Damn, but the Western swing on display on that matchbox stage was every bit as good as what I've heard in Fort Worth and points west. The crowd was there for Phil Lee and some rockabilly hard-edged music, but the Stragglers won 'em over quicker'n an armadillo on crystal meth gets outta the way of an 18-wheeler south of Lampasas. During the opening set, an old girlfriend of Phil's, Carina Muehl, walked me upstairs to the "green room" to meet the man himself before the show. My first exposure to Phil Lee in person went thusly: tiny room; three couches, actually more like love seats; two of them holding bass player and local boy Danny Kurtz (Greg Hawks and the Tremblers, among others) and guitarist Jake Berger sitting up tuning their instruments. The third "couch," the one closest to the door, contained a diminutive, gray-haired figure stretched full out prone and barely reaching from one end to the other. Howdy, Phil. Basic chatter ensued, the whole good-to-meet-ya, enjoy-the-show, etc. for about ten minutes, while I thought to myself, "THIS sawed off lil' fella is the one Waylon says needs to lay off the decaf? This I gotta see." Round about 11:30, the whole damn room saw. Phil hit the stage in a long black coat, straggly gray hair hanging askew beneath a dark grey felt hat and looking like the Cryptkeeper on crack backstage at a Gunsmoke reunion. Then the opening licks of "She Ran Outta Give (Before I Ran Out Of Take)" lit up the room like a White House Christmas tree and Charlotte was rocking. The band behind Phil this night was not his own, but rather a quickly pulled together assortment. The Stragglers' Rob Thorne stayed in on the drums, Danny Kurtz (who's been with Phil off and on for quite a while) handled bass with aplomb, and Berger, a Lee regular, did a hell of a job on lead guitar. Phil picked a bit, but mostly just sang his soul into the mic in a wall of sound and angst that wouldn't stop. The lead song's bombast eased right into "Somebody Oughtta Do Something About That Guy," a tune that Danni Leigh covered on her latest, Divide and Conquer. She changed the guy to gal, but it works. Phil's version sounds a hell of a lot like early Springsteen, musically as well as the vocal delivery. That guy gets away with murder That guy don't really deserve her Oh, once or twice maybe I hurt her like he did. I tell you now I didn't mean to I hope nobody ever pointed and said Phil Lee's the one who's making her cry Somebody oughta do something about that guy From there it was a musical odyssey through the meadows and wasteland's of Lee's life, love and otherwise. From rocking cuts through humorous but insightful songs like "Les Debris, Ils Sont Blancs" and "Jemima James," to the hauntingly poignant "Just Some Girl," Phil and the boys let the spotlight shine brightly across the full spectrum of sound and fury and love and pain that makes Phil Lee's music something special. As is the norm at the Double Door, the crowd knew the words and was there to listen. Rowdy at the right times, quiet when it counted, and hanging on every word and riff and lick right up to the end, the audience belonged solely to Phil Lee on that snowy Friday night in the Carolinas. By two a.m. it was clear the man is no Cryptkeeper in a Stetson; he's some kind of zen voodoo warrior prophet run amok in the Kingdom of Love, kicking ass and taking names. Phil's on the road constantly, so your best bet's gonna be www.phillee1.com. Find a gig and go. And for those of you back home in Texas, I can tell you firsthand the man wants to come play in our neck of the woods. Get to your favorite watering hole, collar the owner, and angle for some booking. You're in for a treat. You can contact David Pilot at: tailgunner-at-rockzilla.net

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