The Big Gun Show Shines On Multiple Levels

Shine indeed. Local talent The Big Gun Show soars into the stratosphere of cool throughout "Let It Shine", a masterful track from their "Shaken and Stirred" effort. Vocalist Gunter Woodson knows whereof he speaks in talking about change and how difficult it can be to adapt, especially if you're a man who lives for the bright lights of the stage and the countdown to performance that goes with it. Gunter has the look of a man who knows the rush by heart the way an all-star QB can't easily escape the allure of game day accolades and high pressure situations that require you to be at peak performance or be forever stuck in goat status. A warm acoustic guitar serenades us and gently gets us ready for the one-two punch of drummer and guitar. The band has a three pronged attack working for them in the guise of Gunter plus Barry Casebeer and Ray Kainz. Their presence is deeply felt throughout the track which would sound perfect on a bright sunny day at Lake Travis or snuggled alongside a picnic lunch at Zilker Park with one's sweet amour. Drummer Yates Hagan shows off his versatility with light taps and full on battering ram explosiveness. He has impeccable timing in this song and knows when to be gritty as opposed to velvet cream smooth. The chorus is hooky and oh so memorable that you'll have it earwig plugged into your head for days if not weeks. Chalk it up to the guitar. You'd swear there was an all-access party going on and you and I were invited. The tempo is just animated enough to get sparks flying but not so fast that you couldn't relax in a hammock to it. Let the other schmoes putter around with the lawn mower duty. The Big Gun Show is serving up cold malt beers and BBQ on the grill. Gunter tries his best to convince his ladylove his catty boy about town ways aren't done at her expense. Rather that's the way he came out of the wrapping and changing that habit is nothing short of Herculean in its undertaking. I appreciate the light airy nature of the gentle drumming. It's a real tension buster on so many levels. Whereas in battering ram mode it's as if somebody whipped the covers off your bed and said "Get up boy!! There's work to be done and it isn't gonna do itself now move it along!!" Gunter glows in his storytelling as is evident at the chorus, a testimonial preaching if ever there was one. Is it any wonder that "Let It Shine" ends on an organ note that sounds as if it was lifted straight from a revival tent deep in the heart of black Sunday school terrain. "Let It Shine" does exactly that. Please check the boys out on the 27th of this month at Saxon Pub on South Lamar. You'll be glad you did.