I am a skeptic by nature. Not just your run of the mill skeptic either. I have that deep in the bone type of cynicism that makes me doubt anything and everything that is unknown to me. So, you can only imagine the frame of mind I was in when I accepted Michael Devers' invitation to attend the Groobees CD release party at Poor David's Pub last Friday. You see, I have never heard the Groobees perform before, and had only been scantly exposed to their recorded material. I, like so many, knew them simply to be the band that Susan Gibson was in. You know, the lady that wrote that song "Wide Open Spaces," that broke the Dixie Chicks onto the worldwide music scene.

Add to this mix of healthy skepticism that I possess the fact that I had to drive 70 miles from my home after a long day at work, run the gamut of stop and go and then stop again weekend traffic on Central Expressway. I could feel the lack of tension slipping away from me as it took me 30 minutes to make it roughly 6 miles. Then, following Devers' advice to get there early, I arrived on lower Greenville Ave. at about 7:40, expecting the doors to Poor David's to open around 8. At 8 p.m., we were told that they would open in about 15 more minutes. Then at 8:20, we were once again told the same thing. This repeated itself at 8:40, and again at 8:55. Patience was a thing of the past at this point. Finally, at ten minutes after nine, we were allowed entrance to the venue. I gave the doorman my name, only to find that I wasn't on the list as I was told I would be. Fortunately, I was saved by Susan Gibson, who presented the bumfuzzled doorman with the Groobees' guest list, which included yours' truly.

However, this simple act of kindness on her part, was not enough to thwart the mission that I was now on. To simply state it, this mission of mine was to SLAM THE GROOBEES!

As I took my seat near the stage and savored the first beer of the evening, the evil plan began to take on a life of it's own. While my plan and I shared a maniacal laugh together, Heather Morgan took the stage as the lead on act. Heather is a beautiful young co-ed, with a Jewel-esque voice to match. The songs she performed were all of her own crafting, and well crafted they were. At this point, I was merely biding my time, waiting for the Groobees to take the stage.

Looking for some grist for my mill, I approached Ms. Gibson before the start of their set and introduced myself. I inquired as to where they derived the band name, and she informed me that a Groobee was a character in Gumby and Pokey, who ate sawdust and nails and could build boxes around animals almost instantly. She even displayed her tattoo of the Groobee that she donned on her shoulder, a little bee with a hammer for a fist. I next informed her that I was unschooled in the music of the Groobees, and therefore, what advice would she give to those out there like myself. Her reply was simply "Take a chance."

"What do you mean?" I inquired.

"Simple. If a person is going to go out on a Friday or Saturday night, they may as well take a chance and spend the five or ten dollars for cover that it takes to see a Groobee show. I am sure that if they do, we are going to show them a good time. That is what we are really trying to do, just show folks a good time. We really enjoy what we do, and I think, at least I hope that comes through."

There was a certain enthusiasm in her voice that resonated when she spoke of their music, and of the other guys in the band. It was almost contagious, but I was not to be charmed that easily.

At 10:35 the Groobees took the stage to begin the first set. The first number featured Scott Melott on vocals and keyboards, and Gibson doing the harmonies and strumming an acoustic guitar. I must admit, that in spite of my plan, their voices seem to blend extremely well together. Their harmonies were breathtakingly enchanting.

Between the first two songs, Melott and Gibson joked with each other, in a very natural and unassuming way that showed they seem to regard the audience as simply a bunch of friends that had gathered in their living room. They didn't seem to be performing for anyone, just a few folks up there playing music and having a good time.

The second song featured Gibson on the lead vocals, with Melott and drummer Todd Hall doing the background vocals. Again, the harmony work was fantastic. As I continued to search for flaws, I came to the realization that musically the band is as tight and adept as they are vocally. For a group of young musicians, they are as road seasoned as any old veterans that you may hope to see.

As they segued into the third song of the evening, they performed the first of five cover songs they were to play that night. Here is where I knew that I had them, for as anyone knows, rarely does a cover ever strike you as quite as good as the original, and the one they chose to do happened to be a song from one of my favorite bands; "Willin'" by Little Feat.

I've been warped by the rain, driven by the snow, drunk and dirty and don't you know that I am still willin'.

No one could deliver these lyrics like Lowell George could, and this was a chick trying to pull it off...and...she was actually doing it. Beautifully! The guitar riffs provided by Gary Thomason were the perfect counterpoint to her voice, adding a deep soulful touch to the number.

The rest of the night went just like this, each song being performed to perfection. Melott went from keyboards to guitar to accordion with ease and great deftness. Gibson switched from guitar to banjo, where she also proved herself to be so much more than capable. The whole time Hall and bassist Bobby Shaffer held down the backbeat with some mighty fine playing of their own. The whole evening the band continued to joke between songs in that effortless style of theirs, and at times this teasing even stretched out to members of the audience.

Then there was Thomason . What can I say about him? Watching him on stage is somewhat akin to watching a 7-year-old hyperactive child that hasn't taken his Ritalin. He is all over the stage, never still for a moment. But the sounds that he can bring forth from a guitar are incredible. One moment he is playing slow and bluesy, ringing out some hell-a-ish solos. Next he is into rock, then onto country, then switching again to rockabilly. I do believe in time that he will be recognized as one of the better performing young guitarists in the state. One of the humorous highlights of the evening was also provided by Thomason, when he performed his version of the Tennessee Ernie Ford classic "16 Tons," replete with rockabilly guitar licks somewhat reminiscent of Brian Setzer. Up until this point of the evening, Thomason had been relatively mute, musing at one point that the band had finally given him his own microphone, now what was he going to do with it.

The Groobees proved themselves to be not only a witty and versatile band, but also one of the best damn performing bands that I have seen in some time. Their musical styles touch on country, rock and roll, folk, blues, rockabilly, and even cajun/zydeco. They are an intelligent group as well as humorous. Musically, each and every member is a stand out, though none ever seem to exert that role. Their characters and personalities mesh absolutely, and they seem to be each other's biggest supporters. But most of all this band exudes passion. Passion for their music, passion for their show and performance, and first and foremost, passion for the audience.

"Take a chance." How right Gibson was. I took a chance, and came away a fan. Yes, I, the skeptic, was swayed in little more than two and half-hours that night. I encourage each and everyone one of you reading this to take a chance and go see the Groobees the next time they are in your area, even if you have to drive a little way or deal with a little traffic. But most of all, I encourage the program directors of the local radio stations to take a chance, and start playing the Groobees on the air. They are Americana music in its purest form, encompassing the full spectrum of the genre. Come on KHYI and KNON, take a chance. Let us hear the Groobees, so that everyone can know what those that packed Poor David's Pub that night to standing room only know, and that is that the Groobees are one damn fine band.

You can learn more about one of my nominees for next year's Rockzillaworld Awards by going to www.groobees.com

You can contact Scott Snidow at: scott-at-rockzilla.net

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