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The South Rises Again! A Kweevak.com Rock Report by Rich and Laura Lynch Before co-founding the Allman Brothers Band in 1969, blues guitar legend Dickey Betts fronted a rock outfit called The Second Coming. Now, in 2008 Betts is undergoing a career revival worthy of his own southern roots through the resurrection of his 70's side project, Great Southern - a family affair of its own as the senior Betts recently placed his son Duane into the group's already stellar line-up.
 Dickey Betts - guitarist, singer and songwriter - onstage in Wayne, NJ! Dickey Betts - guitarist, singer and songwriter, is well respected for his work in the Allman Brothers Band. Dickey was instrumental in crafting the group's signature sound that blended southern rock with the blues, country, jam and jazz. Betts penned some of the band's most memorable songs such as "Blue Sky", "Jessica", "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and "Ramblin' Man". Dickey's solo work dates back to 1974 but he worked with the Allman Brothers Band throughout the years until the final ugly fracture in 2000 when he was reportedly fired via fax. Betts quickly formed his own solo Dickey Betts Band but the road back wasn't easy as the rock veteran had to forge a new identity in small clubs and bars - a long way from the arenas and theaters ABB continued to fill in his absence. But, Betts has obviously been serious about the restoration of his career because the hard work has paid off and today he tours as Dickey Betts & Great Southern - now filling theaters and larger venues on a regular basis. The current line up includes Andy Aledort and Duane Betts (Dickey's son) on guitars, Pedro Arevalo on bass and Mike Kach on keyboards. Dueling drums are handled by Frankie Lombardi and James Varnado. Dickey Betts & Great Southern have live dates lined up for the spring and summer of 2008 with a stop at the Shea Center located on the campus of William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey. The Shea Center is a great venue to see a show with good acoustics, friendly staff, nice sight lines and ample leg room between the seats. Anticipation was high on Friday, May 2nd, as folks were hooting and hollering before the band had played a single note. The stage was packed with two full drum kits and bongos, a line of Marshall amps with more sound flanking the sides - the show was loud to say the least. Stage design was simple with a big, sunny colored banner with a cow skull and the band's name as a back drop and a few well placed rugs. Interestingly, the three guitar players did not switch instruments much during the night. The first set opened strong with a sizzling "Statesboro Blues". Dickey's leads were crisp and concise and the seats were shaking with the power of the percussion team. The two sets would include plenty of Allman classics. Betts is still hot and he has wisely surrounded himself with capable players who were smoking.
 The triple guitar threat provided ample leads and licks. "Blue Sky" featured fabulous fret work with a foray that sounded like the Dead's "Franklin's Tower" before meandering into the colorful components of "Blue Sky". This version was expansive. At one point, the keys were floating to the front before the triple guitar threat took back center stage. Betts was incorporating some finger treble effects in his leads. The song would earn the band one of many standing ovations of the evening. Lead vocals were handled by different people throughout the night. During "Seven Turns" Pedro was playing a mini-stand up bass with a bow as one of the two drummers pounded bongos adding different elements to the animated song. A gong and low end notes heralded "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed", which went in dark directions that were bold and brilliant. Duane, looking a lot like Dickey did back in the day, played an impressive lead as the expansive exploration went into varied jamming journeys, yet stayed within the context of the song. Mike Kach's piano solo was also impressive before the song circled back to the guitar leads and a short drum diversion before closing with the familiar refrain - all offering a colossal close before the intermission. For Kach, who might be mistaken for the second coming of a younger Gregg Allman, this would be one of the many highlights of the night for him as he also ably held down vocal duties on many of the ABB favorites. The second set started with "Where It All Began" with the percussion team propelling the extensive guitar exchanges. The jams through the second set were masculine, memorizing and sometimes moody. Keeping with tradition the drummers (Frankie Lombardi and James Varnado). had an opportunity to solo demonstration their dynamic skills together and as individuals. Arevalo was the first to walk back on stage adding his own beguiling bass grooves to the mix. The rest of the band returned to play an enlivened "No One Left To Run With" with energizing guitar licks, closing the set on a high note. The encore was a beautiful version of "Jessica" with more interesting, innovative instrumentation. It is wonderful to see and hear that the legendary Dickey Betts (despite ups and downs) has still got it, playing luscious licks with his son Duane ably following in his footsteps. Great Southern was smoking carrying on the innovative, improvisational traditions that Dickey and The Allman's established so many years ago. Dana Fuchs (vocals and percussion) and collaborator Jon Diamond (guitar and harmonica) did a good job engaging and entertaining the crowd before Betts and his band took the stage. Dana's six song set included her originals, opening with a reflective songs about the war and getting the troops home safely. Dana has a smoky voice and a sexy stage presence. At times, she reminded me of Janis Joplin with her emotional expressions and mannerisms. Fuchs closed her set with a cover of the Beatles "Helter Skelter" which was daring and dramatic.
 Mike Kach on keyboards provided a key element to the band's chemistry! Related Links: For more information on Dickey Betts and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links -- dickeybetts.com | Official Bootleg | danafuchs.com | sheacenterpresents.com
 Originally Published: 05/05/2008 on Kweevak.com |
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