Hacienda Brothers preview

Hacienda Brothers
FitzGerald’s, Berwyn
Saturday, July 5, 2008

Despite the recent passing of founding-member Chris Gaffney, Dave Gonzalez will carry the band’s flag for this year’s American Music Festival.

Gaffney will leave quite a void for the Haciendas, as one would expect with a lead singer. Over a mere three albums, Gaffney helped lead the band near the top of the alt-country/roots heap, most notably with 2005’s What’s Wrong With Right (Koch). Marrying his rasp to the Flying Burrito Brothers’ sense of soul, legendary songwriter/producer Dan Penn elevated the band from their no-B.S., roadhog roots.

Arizona Hotel (Proper), released just two months after Gaffney’s lost battle with liver cancer, carries on in much the same vein with even greater contributions from Penn. Fittingly, there’s a lack of sentimentality over Gaffney’s situation. Whether it’s the Vietnam allegory “Uncle Sam’s Jail” or the country blues of “Soul Mountain,” Hacienda Brothers are in peak form and not so worried about tomorrow.

— Steve Forstneger

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Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly