Flanfire

Okay -- Buddy Holly never was a swing jazz singer, never fronted any band close to the Lucky Strikes. But every time I listen to Craig Marshall doing his own pop songs, I think about how Buddy Holly was such an influence on the Beatles that they named their band after an insect to mimic Holly's Crickets. Marshall has that same ability to make people smile -- and that same early Beatles touch.

I remember meeting Marshall down at Woody's South (another Austin venue now defunct) -- and listening to his music for the first time I just felt good afterwards. Wednesday night at the Dirty Dog on Sixth Street, Craig and his band -- Jon Notarthomas on lead guitar and vocals, Jeff Botta on drums and vocals, and the incomparable John Thomasson on bass (just back from the Dell Lounge in Vegas with Suzanna Choffel at the Computer Electronics Show) -- lit up the dark stage as if there was a full-on light show.

Marshall's third solo album is due out in February, but this set went back to his debut "Popular Crimes" for "It's Coming Back," "Knock Me Down," and the much-loved "I Like Saturday Night." Second release Before the Fadeaway was represented by "Settle for Me," "Stop and Go," and the amazing "Corner of Lost and Found." Craig even did a brand new song or two -- "Play to Win" was pretty darn good. But my favorite had to be "Lost in Space," or whatever Craig actually uses as that song's title.

Craig Marshall is what "That Thing You Do" (the movie) was supposed to communicate about pop music. Only in today's perverted corporate music environment would a talent such as this be so obscure. Hopefully, today's new generation is beginning to rebel against the Disney-Clear Channel universe in which the nastier your sex tape, the more outrageous your driving record, the volume and nature of your drug and alcohol use, or even the number of children you have statutorily raped are the biggest factors in determining your marketability. [A world, that is, in which Jamie Lynn Spears' pregnancy is touted as a pro-life statement by marketers who otherwise could care less about such matters!]

It was a special treat that Kat Edmondson and her piano player pal Kevin Lovejoy popped in (after their gig at Eddie V's) to catch the show. Kat promises maybe TWO recordings later this year -- a jazz record, to be sure, but also her own pop songs (which she says is what comes out when she starts to write). Craig will be BACK at the Dirty Dog on January 23rd -- he is my male singer of the year, and if you are not familiar with his pop (or jazz, for that matter) songs or his great delivery, you just might want to trek down to Sixth Street or to any of his other shows -- or to his myspace page or his website.

Cannot leave without noting that the earlier time slot at Dirty Dog was filled by St. Louis white boy blues man Zak Perry -- whom Nancy and I used to hang out with Sunday afternoons at Austin's Pizza on South Lamar. Zak and his bandmates have been gracing Austin stages for about six years -- in between tours that almost always go back through Missouri.

Flanfire -- Bringing LIFE to Austin music.