Commander Cody smokes the Hawaiian islands

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

The ol' Commander is in the midst of a long awaited return to the Hawaiian islands, and I'm just out of the Oahu show at the great Hawaiian Hut, still reeling from the stunning awesomeness of it all.
Not only did he have Dave Zerbel on pedal steel, but this version of the band he's fronted for 5+ years has seasoned and matured into a serious musical force to be reckoned with, and thuroughly oblitterated the Turkey Trot CD/DVD example of a few years ago by a zillion light years.
They kicked major ass!
Maui and the big island have no idea what is coming their way.

Briefly chatted with Dave during an intermission and he was quite happy to be making his island debut, especially as #3 on Cody's steel chair list. Dave came off as a very nice guy and he sure kept a smile on his face as the band stomped thru 2 dozen boogie filled tunes, shining bright thruout with some fabulous picking. The one 'contracted' slow #, Down To Seeds And Stems Again Blues (which is about dogs...) had Dave getting it weepy, even tho the small(!?!) crowd was too nuts to bust a tear.

Every tune was an extended jam that let the band flex muscles that I didn't believe they had after veiwing the Turkey Trot release. All 5 members are stunning on their instruments of choice and each # showed it big time. These guy's are super tight, but loose at the same time allowing for an anything goes attitude, typical of the leader, whom is now frail of body but still like King Kong in spirit and can sing and play with the best of them,as always, even with a keyboard that was only half there for the first part of the show.

If Cody is coming anywhere near you, don't be a fool like most of this island was tonite, and make sure you see one of the best bands in the land today, or ever.
I've seen most all the line-ups headed by CC since the early 70s and this one is the hardest rocking yet and takes a back seat to none of them.

WOW! Nuff sed.

GaryL · From: Medina, OH USA

Long Live The Commander! Cool

Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

Dave is a very nice guy and one of the best players in our area (Bay area). I hope I can see him with Cody some day.
_________________
Carter D10 8p/8k, Dekley S10 3p/4k C6 setup,Regal RD40 Dobro, Recording King Professional Dobro, NV400, NV112,Ibanez Gio guitar, Epiphone SG Special (open D slide guitar) . Playing for 55 years and still counting.

Earnest Bovine · From: Los Angeles CA USA

Me & Jim when to see the Amblers when we were 17 years old and we decided then and there that we wanted to be just like George Frayne when we grew up. (I know, I know, you can't do both.)

Mike Winter · From: Portland, OR

Gotta love the Commander...good for Dave, too. And they played my favorite...Seeds and Stems...the original "West Coast, country hippie crying in your empty baggie tear jerker." Too cool. Smile

"I'm sittin alone, Saturday night, watching the Late Late Show.
A bottle of wine, some cigarettes, I got no place to go.
Well, I saw your other man today; he was wearing my brand new shoes,
And I'm down to seeds and stems again, too.

Well, I met my old friend Bob today from up in Bowling Green;
He had the prettiest little gal that I'd ever seen.
But I couldn't hide my tears at all, cause she looked just like you,
And I'm down to seeds and stems again, too.

Now everybody tells me there's other ways to get high.
They don't seem to understand I'm too far gone to try.
Now these lonely memories, they're all I can't lose,
And I'm down to seeds and stems again, too.

Well my dog died just yesterday and left me all alone.
The finance company dropped by today and repossessed my home.
That's just a drop in the bucket compared to losing you,
And I'm down to seeds and stems again, too.

Got the Down to Seeds and Stems again blues."

Joe Stoebenau · From: Pennsylvania, USA

Glad to hear he is using steel again. I went to a Commander concert last year and it was a stripped down band...no steel. I was really disapointed but when the music started, I was grinnin' from ear to ear. (not because the lack of steel!)
The Commander rules.

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

Yeah Joe, I was stoked to hear a week or two ahead that Steve Zellinski was going to be manning the chair, knowing that it was iffy these day's. Dave mentioned at the show that there had been a request by someone with pull that there be steel in the band for the island tour. I couldn't have been happier that Dave filled the bill and never once (well..., yes once, before the show started) wished that Bobby Black was on stage.
Dave actually played more than Bobby used to, and he still layed back considerably.

Did I mention it was a GREAT SHOW?!

Dave Zirbel · From: Sebastopol, CA USA

Thanks Ron! Thanks Richard(hope you're feeling better!). Being fourth call (or more Smile

) for the Commander ain't so bad! The lower photo is a view from my room on Maui. Sometimes life on the road can be a real.......BEACH!

It was a blast! I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Thanks for coming out to the show Ron. Nice meeting you.

Dave Very Happy

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

Dave is a good guy - glad to see him with that gig!

Charles Curtis · Posted 15 Jan 2008 6:23 am

I believe that Don Curtis has played with the Commander also; if I'm wrong Don can correct me.

Rick Abbott · From: Indiana, USA

Ernie Hagar played on the 5th album and did a few gigs.
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RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer 1963 Gibson Falcon

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

Now THAT'S cool, Dave! That pic will probably be the few reminders of the show that I'll retain from the fragments of a fading memory. No bootleg Mad

, autographs Confused

, and maybe only this pic Oh Well

. Thanx for posting it! That actually looks like the Oahu gig, too.

The 3rd in the chair mention is current speak. Dave is 3rd (or 4th, as he sez here) in line for gigs of today's Cody shows.

Hope CC got his fill of Hawaiian herbal remedies!
It was deffinitely in the air.

Chris Schlotzhauer · From: Colleyville, Tx. USA

Way to go DZ. I bet that was a blast. Your room looks a little better than the Ramada Inn I was in last week. I did have a view of I-35.

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

Dave, I never caught the bass players name, can you please tell me? He really has some steady rollin' chops, and it was cool that he got to show them extensively a couple of times.

All these members are over qualified for the music at hand, but that's why they took it beyond what past incarnations have done. All the others were historic in their own right, but this time the roof was ripped away by hurricane Cody.

Dave Zirbel · From: Sebastopol, CA USA

Randy Bramwell from Boston was on bass. He went to the Berklee school of music. He's an amazing musician. Did a tour with monster drummer Billy Cobram.

dz

Herb Steiner · From: Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064

I've heard about musicians trying to snort Peru, but smoking the Hawaiian Islands?!?

You're a better man than I am, George! Wink

_________________
My rig: Infinity and Telonics.

Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?

Ron Whitfield · From: Kaaawa, Hawaii, USA

Snorting Peru, Smokin' the HI's, and for the last song of the evening, they were ROCKing Over China!

Thanx again, Dave. Randy and the rest of ya'll made it all seem so easy, the true sign of superb musicians.

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