May 29th, 2008 by Evil Kitten

image taken from myspace page
Click here to view their website and hear some tunes!

I was in Nashville visiting the folks over the weekend, and whenever I’m there we try to get down to Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar (which I’ll be doing a review on tomorrow) to see whatever band is playing that night. Sometimes it’s very “meh” and other times it’s actually phenomenal. This past Saturday night, the four of us all rolled up and met some friends there. We hadn’t heard of this band previously, but it didn’t matter because we were there for many other things. We usually get there about an hour before the band starts to give us time to have dinner before the music starts playing.

They were a little late coming on stage, which annoyed me because I usually don’t like to start drinking until the band plays, and I was ready for my Blues Juice. I noticed a few things when the band was setting up. First off, a full horns section (sax, coronet, and trombone) but no pianist. That’s a different combination! Josh Garrett plays guitar, and he has a bassist and drummer of course in addition to the horns.

When he started playing, it was complete magic. He took command of the stage, worked the crowd, and completely transformed the place into a party. It was the last night of Bourbon Street’s famous “Mardi Gras in May” and I swear that it felt like I was on the real Bourbon Street in New Orleans, partying with my friends and drinking hurricanes (I was drinking hurricanes, but that’s beside the point). Highlights of the night were his song “Champagne and Reefer,” the title track off of his new CD, “Changed Man,” and “I’ve Got My Mojo Working.”

Not only is he an amazing musician (and the rest of his band as well), he’s an excellent performer. He’s charismatic, fun, and really knows how to work the crowd. If you go to see Josh Garrett and the Bottom Line you will definitely have an amazing time, especially if you love the blues. Check out his website and his album, which can be bought off of his MySpace page.