The Eric Tessmer Band @ the King Club

Two weekends ago I wrapped up a busy week with a Saturday night show with my parents. We went downtown to the King Club to see the Eric Tessmer Band from Austin, TX. I had stumbled across a listing for the show two days prior, and I immediately emailed my father. He and I had seen them play at the Belleville American Music Festival back in July, and I think they were his favorite of the entire lineup. My mother was on vacation with my sister in Germany at this time, but she had been listening to the CDs my father bought pretty regularly. They both told me they would love to come up to see the show.

The show wasn't supposed to start until 9, so I told my parents to meet me for dinner at the Old Fashioned around 7:30. I arrived a bit early to put my name in for a table, knowing how busy this restaurant gets. My parents ran late, as always, and it has been quite a few years since they navigated the Capital Square. Consequently I received three calls from my father for directions to the parking ramp and the restaurant. No harm done - they were only about fifteen minutes late, and I had time to study the menu extensively! The food at the Old Fashioned is exceptional and I always have a hard time choosing. I have this quirk: I don't ever order the same thing as someone else at the table. My father does this too, and he claims that he always gets something different than my mother in case she doesn't like her selection - then she can have his. When the waiter took the order, my mother was going with my first pick and my father my second. So I quickly scanned the menu and picked another. Crisis averted.

After dinner we strolled over to the King Club. I've always loved the King Club for a smaller show. The place is fairly small - maybe 100 people could fit in there without regard to the fire code. The stage is right in front and tables line the walls. There's a nice bar in the back.
When we arrived about 20 people were already present, and we managed to grab the last table. I also learned that two other bands were on the bill that night, both local. Whitney Mann and the Boys were the opening act and the Skintones were also on the bill. While my father an I were at the bar getting drinks, my father found himself standing next to Eric Tessmer himself, and they chatted for a few minutes about the BAM Fest. Around 10:00 Whitney Mann and the Boys took the stage and started off the night. They played a brand of alt.country that I found to be good. They played all originals except for one cover: Johnny Cash's "25 Minutes To Go," which I absolutely loved. I was impressed. I'll be certainly making it a point to see them again around town.

Shortly after the Eric Tessmer Band took the stage to a nearly full club. The band consists of just Tessmer on guitar, Allen Daniells on bass, and Doug Day on drums, and they really are tight. While they were the listed headliners, they had moved up to play second and let the Skintones close the show.
No knock on the Skintones, but this was an added bonus for my parents. The band got right into it. Tessmer can straight up play. Their blues-rock sound is perfect for a setting such as the King Club. However, it was a bit loud for my mother. Fortunately they sell earplugs at the bar, which allowed my mother to enjoy the show without covering her ears. The band played a headliner set of nearly two hours, mixing originals with a few blues standards. At one point Tessmer played an extended solo while Daniells walked through the crowd to hit the bathroom and pick up a few drinks at the bar. It was also the Doug Day's birthday, which prompted Daniells to lead the crowd in singing "Happy Birthday." They wrapped up about ten minutes before 1:00 AM and my parents decided to call it a night. Not too bad, considering my father is 60 and my mother is not too far behind!