photo provided

Pictured here after the Charleston Bay party is the young band called Cobalt.

After dropping in on a party at my music partner's ('Kung Fu' Jerry Beale) house, we headed over to Fiery Ron's Home Team BBQ just in time to see one of our favorite local acts, The Reverend Johnny Mac and The BootyRanch.

The best way I can describe Johnny Mac is the soulful blues rock of Johnny Winter combined with the pure musical muscle of Alvin Lee (of 10 Years After). But I'm not trying to paint the picture of some retro-blues act. His sound and persona are certainly his own.

A great deal of folks in the Lowcountry would tell you he's the best guitarist around. He is a master of the six string and one heck of a slide player. And who could go wrong with a rhythm section like Chris Watts (Bass) and Stevie Kent (Drums). With his original songs along with his own take on classic rock, blues and roots rock songs, it was a flawless and dynamic show. Some of the highlights for me were amazing covers of the Staple Singers 1971 hit 'Respect Yourself' and ' In My Time Of Dying' which, after being recorded by the gospel-blues great, Blind Willie Johnson (he called it 'Jesus Goin' A-Make Up My Dyin' Bed') was also covered by John Cougar Mellencamp, John Sebastion, Bob Dylan and most famously, Led Zeppelin. Of all of them,

The BootyRanch version of the song is my favorite. Also, the original 'Let's Call It Quits', where Mac lets you in on the writing process with a song about itself. Find out more at  www.myspace.com/thebootyranch.

As for the venue, Fiery Ron's Home Team BBQ Sullivan's Island is in the former Burt's location. They retained a great deal of Burt's character with some improvements such as opening up the room a little more and a built in PA system, expertly installed by Andrew Higdon of Hope Sound and manned for the night by local sound engineer legend, Wayne Slagel.

The staff were very friendly and professional. We were nicely greeted at the door and felt welcome before we even sat down. I look forward to my next chance to visit with them.

Love to hear it

Often, you readers see me in the places I work, the grocery store, doctor's office, etc, and tell me how much you enjoy reading my column. Thank you very much! It's gratifying to know that one's efforts are appreciated. And you tell me about bands that you saw that you enjoyed. One band that seems to come up in many of these conversations is The Average Savage. I have had the pleasure of mixing their sound on more than one occasion and have become a fan. Energetic frontman Tommy Byrnes creates quite a bit of excitement in the room while being backed by the expert guitar playing of Ted Huge.

Rounded out by the rhythm section of Jeff Collier and Henry Savage, these guys play a eclectic mix of tunes from the 70's up to modern rock. Savage told me in a recent conversation, that the philosophy of the band is to have a good time playing music that they love. I definitely get that from watching them play. This attitude is the key ingredient to what makes an Average Savage Show a good time!

Get the blues

A Dough Re Mi is known for bringing in great blues acts and this weekend is no exception. On Friday it's the rough and tumble roadhouse blues of The Highway 17 Blues Band. Featuring the Telecaster wrangling of the man in the black hat, Jack Downey. On Saturday it's Jeff Norwood playing a special Dobro Christmas Show. Norwood plays a variety of Delta, Hill Country and Boogie Blues. His CD 'Awendaw' is a regular in my CD player. To find out more go to www.adoughremi.com.

Battling bands

You can still register for The March Madness Battle of The Bands 2010. This year, the field will be limited to 12 bands, so hurry as slots will fill up fast. Remember, you must be a unsigned, all original band to enter. You can register at www.ozziethedog.com . Just fill out the form and I will get back to you as soon as possible. More details to come soon about prizes, dates, sponsorships coming soon. Prepare to battle!

After parade party!

In my neighborhood, the Christmas season really kicks in with the Mount Pleasant Christmas Parade. Because of our proximity to Coleman Boulevard, people come to find a place to park to find a good spot to watch the parade.

 About half a block down the street from my house is Charleston Bay Gourmet Catering and Carpenter's Woodworks. Every year they get together to throw an after parade Christmas party. Every year local new-grass jam band Triple Lindy entertains the crowd. Charleston Bay provides the food with such goodies as: hot dogs, chili, pulled BBQ pork, soft drinks, and local oysters. But this year they added an opening act. Moultrie Middle School students, Charly Cook (drums), Jon Hook (vocals), Connor Fersner (lead guitar), Tristan Lancaster (bass) and Ryan West (rhythm guitar) combine to form Cobalt. They rocked the crowd with covers and originals. Expect to see great things from these guys as they are part of the future of the East Cooper Music Scene.

I want to give special thanks to Wando High School student Jasmine Pilling for her great article about the music scene at her school.

She has been a great help with the East Cooper Music Scene column and I look forward to reading more of her great work.

I'm working on the year-end column and I'd like your input. What I'd like to know is, what do you think was the most significant event in the East Cooper Music Scene during 2009? Send me an e-mail.

Until next week, support live music and be nice to each other.

Contact Stu at : allnightjohnson@gmail.com