We hate Tuesday nights, but at least we're not in Omaha...

I put out an all-points bulletin to buds Vin, Keith and the Pool Hall Studs (longtime partner Gumbo is no longer available, having dissed us for better things out in the Great Northwest) about Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs at Cafe Nine Tuesday night, but it went unanswered. The Reet was not thrilled at my midnight adventure, but I'd passed up Sarah Borges (AND the Broken Singles) last Saturday night and I was determined to get back on my concert tour, which takes me to various small, sleazy bars at God-awful hours to see really cool performances. So out into the cold, dark December night I venture. My motto for these things is "you can never be too late," meaning the performers NEVER come close to starting on time and if you show up on time, you're in for a long, long night. Showtime is slated for 9pm, so that's the time I leave the house for my forty-five minute ride down I91 to New Haven.

Cafe Nine>>> Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs; w/ Baby G • former member of the all-girl garage band Thee Headcoatees, the female incarnation of the Billy Childish group Thee Headcoats. For her solo career, she draws from rhythm and blues, rockabilly, and sounds of the 1960s or earlier. She has released thirteen studio albums of her own and has collaborated with other artists, such as Billy Childish and Rocket From The Crypt, and most notably The White Stripes; she is featured on the track "Well It's True That We Love One Another" from their album, Elephant.

There's some kind of free parking arrangement with the lot directly behind Cafe Nine, but it's too complicated for me and I luckily find an empty spot just off State Street. At the front door right next to the small stage, the disinterested girl with the Lady Gaga eye makeup takes my eight bucks and stamps my hand. No live music going on, but two gals were fiddling around with guitars on stage, so I assume Baby G hasn't started their set yet. One of them must be Leila Crockett (I find she's the younger, taller lead guitarist), who (perusing the band's MySpace page) seems to be the leader of the pack. Sparse crowd. I grab a cool one, nod to Cardboard Elvis and grab an empty table along the outer wall with a good view of the stage as the female duo commence playing. They're not bad at all, one lead guitar, the other bass. They alternate lead vocals and harmony on Crockett's bluesy compositions. As a duo, they are calling themselves The Potholders, since they don't have their full compliment of players tonight. As they wind down their set, I look up to see Ms. Golightly and partner Lawyer Dave standing next to my table taking in the final few numbers.

Break time. Call The Reet to update on the time situation. Grab another cold one for the second set. Holly & Dave exchange pleasantries with The Potholders while one group tears down, the other sets up. Cardboard Elvis gets bumped a few times as guitars get shoved into temporary corner storage, but the King remains upright. The place has filled in a bit more, so there's more energy as we approach show time. Finally!

Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs is really just she and Lawyer Dave, Holly on guitar, Dave on guitars/drums/various percussion ("We were once a full band.....but there was this horrible accident and.....we had to eat them."). Not to worry, they are plenty good with the remaining deuce. Loved the show's relaxed pace. Holly's thin voice delivers the goods in a quirky, interesting way and Lawyer Dave can play and sing! I find myself wishing there were others here to appreciate these guys. They played most of the fan favorites and seemed to be enjoying themselves ("Thanks for coming out on a Tuesday night. We hate Tuesdays, but at least we're not in Omaha."). Hung around afterward to grab a nifty chocolate HG&B tee shirt, but HG apologized for running out of all sizes above women's medium. Promises more when they come back in March. Picked up a CD for a Christmas present. Hmmmm, for whom?

(note: I've got a video, but it's not uploading correctly to YouTube; I'm working on it.) GOT IT!