ROCK ON! This Week's Sound Bites...5/29/14

By Danny Coleman
originally published: 05/29/2014

Moot Davis is a Jersey boy through and through; just don't tell his music that however.

You see, this Jersey native from a suburban Trenton community pens some of the best honky tonk, old school style rock 'n' roll one will ever encounter outside of possibly Nashville or Memphis.

"Goin' In Hot" is the latest effort from this talented artist, who has literally travelled the globe in search of the right avenues for his music. "Right now I'm living in Hollywood," says Davis. "I'm doing some acting and hoping to place some songs in film and that industry is here."

"Goin' In Hot" is his fourth disc and perhaps his most interesting to date. The disc was completed only days before the studio in which the mixes were finalized, burned to the ground. Ironically the title had been decided prior to the incident in which, fortunately for Davis, the engineer was able to pull the finished product off of the partially melted and saturated computer in which they were stored.
There's no irony in this disc other than the title, as Davis has put together a great collection of material; which when compared to his other efforts, has a bit more of an edge. "Goin' In Hot," the title cut kicks off with a twangy, honky tonk guitar backed up by a nifty drum track that makes this a superb opening track.
"Food Stamps," the second offering, features lines like, "Livin' on food stamps and four bottles of two dollar wine," with a prototypical old school country rhythm and additional lyrics which evoke images of a rural farm town supermarket where two young coworkers are more worried about falling in love, than how they're going to pay for it.
"Just Left Home" seems to be a testament to the innocence of youth as it meets the real world in search of love and adventure. "Made For Blood" is next up and features a syncopated guitar that is guaranteed to get your head bobbing and have you playing air or dashboard drums to its catchy story line.
Davis pulls back a bit on the fifth of this thirteen track album; "Used to Call It Love." A neat ballad which features some very nice pedal steel guitar work by Gary Morse. Moot doesn't let one rest however, as he jumps right back into "Walk Alone," followed by the two steppin', upbeat "Midnight Train."
True to Davis form, Moot likes to throw a rumba type tune in here and there and "Hurtin' For Real," which features the additional vocals of songstress Nikki Lane; does not disappoint.
The ninth cut is entitled "The Reason" and pays homage to not only his mom but mothers the world over. "You're the reason, I am who I am, you're the reason that I say please, thank you ma'am. I just wanted to tell you how much you mean to me, hey ma' I love you, you made a man outta me."
"Love Hangover" details the feelings of a broken heart as compared to that of the kind which comes from a night of overindulgence. Another up tempo tune that is guaranteed to get your toes tapping and your feet shuffling, this one also paints a nice mental picture as well.
Keeping with the rocking theme of this disc, "Rag Man's Roll" hits the ground running right from the chute with a prominent yet at times subtle piano part capable of making Jerry Lee Lewis smile. A smokin' slide guitar played by Bill Corvino adds to the total overall feel of this rollicking tune.
"I Wanna Go Back" speaks of the demise of a relationship and the desire to revisit the past and atone for mistakes. This one paints a picture with lyrics perhaps better than many an artist could do on canvas. "I want one more night where we didn't fight and I said things just right and we held each other oh so tight..." A powerful ballad from the man's point of view about divorce and his obvious mistakes.
"25 Lights," with its blatant references to UFO abduction and escaping from our earthly realm, is definitely the odd man out on the disc. Even with a driving beat and exemplary guitar work, it just seems a tad out of place in comparison to the rest of the songs which make up this very fine collection. Whether Davis intends for it to be an attention grabber or he placed it there for another reason; it does not detract from the product whatsoever.
"Goin' In Hot" is well worth its price and is a fantastic piece of work by this Jersey boy who can be found performing all across this great land of ours. Currently, Moot and the band are touring the east coast with stops scheduled in various bar rooms, gin joints and honky tonks near you.
To see the complete tour schedule and discover more about Moot Davis, please go to www.mootdavis.com.

This space welcomes any suggestions and/or comments. Please send them to: [email protected]

That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
THIS WEEKS CALENDAR LISTINGS

Alchemist & Barrister

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28 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-5555
Thurs. 10 p.m. John Morrison Jazz Trio

Sun. 9 p.m. Princeton Area Bluegrass Jam

Wed. 10 p.m. Open mic. night Hosted by Eric Puliti

All shows 21+
Amarones Windsor Inn

29 Church St. Windsor
(609) 448-714
Thurs. (6:30 p.m.)Pizza Night w/Scott Gager & Debbie (7:30 p.m.) Texas Hold'em

Sat. 8 p.m. Sounds of The Street

Tues. 7:30 p.m. Texas Hold'em
Big Shots Bar and Grill/Hebe Music Lounge

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835 E Rte. 130 South, Burlington

(609) 267-1200
Fri. 8 p.m. Charles Laurita & The Mischief

Sat. 8 p.m. No Commitment

Wed. 8 p.m. Open Mic.

Blend

911 Rte. 33 Hamilton

(609) 245-8887
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke

Tues. 8 p.m. Trivia Jam

Chambers Walk Cafe
2667 Main St. Lawrenceville
(609) 896-5995

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Fri./Sat. 6 p.m. Dick Gratton

The Backstage at Championship Bar
931 Chambers St. Trenton

(609) 394-7437

Fri. 6 p.m. Rhino Cerous, Paradigms, Codex, VIA, Regressor, Winchester. All ages, $8/$10.

Sat. 7 p.m. Navigating The Decline, Prospect, Ancora, Geniverse. All ages, $8/$10

Mon. 4 p.m. Dog Fashion Disco, Psychostick, The Bunny The Bear, Super Terrific Action Team, Making-Out With Medusa, Stiff Motion, Valacar, Marina, Graye. All ages, $12/$15
Dubh Linn Square
167 Rte. 130 North Bordentown
(609) 298-7100
Sun. 4 p.m.Billy O'neal

Tues. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night hosted by Shaun Ruymen
Fran's Pub

116 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.

(215)862-5539

Fri. 9 p.m. DJ Night

Sat. 8 p.m. Blue Meanies

Mon. 8 p.m. Open Mic Blues Jam

All shows 21+
Havana New Hope
105 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-9897

Thurs. "Beat The Clock" College Night DJ Dance Party

Fri. 8:30 p.m. The Loop

Sat. 8:30 p.m. Fish Out of Water

Sun. 2 p.m. Midnight Sun Orchestra

Mon. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron Sherr and Bridge

Wed. 8 p.m. Heather Heather

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All shows 21+
Ivy Tavern
3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Fri. 10 p.m. Gunsmoke

Sat. 10 p.m. Papa Deluxe
All shows 21+

John & Peter's
96 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-5981

Thurs. 9 p.m. Na Bodach

Fri. 8 p.m. Ammunition

Sat. 9:30 p.m. Atomic Age

Sun. (3 p.m.) Fungible Amalgam (9:30 p.m.) The Silks w/ Satellite Hearts

Mon. Open Mic.

Tues. 9 p.m. The Hoochie Coochie Men

Wed. The Invitational (Featuring John & Peter's House Band)
All shows 21+
JoJo's Tavern

2677 Nottingham Way Hamilton

(609) 586-2678

Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke
Palermo's Of Hamilton
310 Klockner Rd. Hamilton
(609) 838-7979

Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke

Sat. 9 p.m. Meg Hanson and Billy Hill

All shows 21+
Patriot's Crossing

1339 River Rd. Titusville

(609) 737-2780
Fri. 7:30 p.m. McMillan & Co.

Sat. 7:30 p.m. Gary and Deana

Pete's Steak House
523 Whitehorse Ave. Hamilton
(609) 585-8008

Fri. 9:30 p.m. Blind Lemmon Pie

Sat. 9:30 p.m. Sonny Kenn
RHO Waterfront

50 Riverview Plaza Trenton

(609) 393-7300
Thurs. 9 p.m. College Night w/ DJ Jeff Scott Gould

Fri. (4:30 p.m.) P.K. Lavengoode (9 p.m.) Radio Fiction (10 p.m.) DJ Jimmie Palumbo

Sat. 9 p.m. DJs Steve Hype, Jack Muler, Fake Brit, Larry T

All Shows 21+
Sunsets at Cream Ridge

181 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge

(609) 208-2500
Thurs. 7:30 p.m. Billy Simmons

Fri. (6 p.m.) Rob Silvers Duo (9 p.m.) John & Carm

Sat. 9:30 p.m. Tangled

Mon. 7 p.m. Open Mic. and Karaoke w/ Rich Barry

Tavern On The Lake

101 Main St. Hightstown
(609) 426-9345

Fri. 9 p.m. Kickback

Sat. 9 p.m. El Ka Bong

Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke Night
The Cool Cricket

216 4th St. Fieldsboro

(609) 291-9110
Fri. 9 p.m. Karaoke

Sat. 9 p.m. Crosswick / Gridlock
The Ivy Inn

248 Nassau St. Princeton

(609) 921-8555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ Ron Sherr

Fri. 10 p.m. WPRB Spring Fundraiser Night

Sat. 10 p.m. River Dogs

Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv

Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ Ron Sherr
The Record Collector

358 Farnsworth Ave. Bordentown

(609) 324-0880
Sat. 8 p.m. Professor Louie & The Crowmatix. All ages, doors at 7:30 p.m., $12 (advance).
The Sticky Wicket
2465 South Broad St. Hamilton
(609) 439-0007
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke

Fri. 9 p.m. D*Luxe

Sat. 9:30 p.m. Out of The red

All shows 21+
The Sun National Bank Center
81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 656-3200
Please check web site for upcoming events
Tir Na Nog
1324 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 392-2554

Fri. 9 p.m. Seamus Kelleher

Sat. 9 p.m. Tommy Glover

Sun. 3 p.m. Irish Sessions w/ Gormley & DeAngelo

Tues. (7 p.m.) Rock On Radio Happy Hour w/ Danny Coleman feat. John Patrick Bastiani and Margaret Lewis (9 p.m.) Open Mic.

All shows 21+
Trenton Social

449 South Broad Street Trenton

(609) 989-7777
Thurs. 8 p.m. Cinema Thursdays Presents: The Hire

Fri. 10 p.m. Friday night w/ Jay Kountree & Jaxx

Mon. 10 p.m. Service Industry Night w/ DJ-Jay Kountree

Tues. 9 p.m. LiveMusic/Open Mic.
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300

Fri. 10 p.m. Ellis Ashbrook. $5 (coverage)

Sat. (1 p.m.) Hobnail (10 p.m.) The Happy Dog. $5 (cover charge)

Sun. 7 p.m. Open Jam Night

All shows 21+
Villa Romanza

429 Rte. 156 Hamilton

(609) 585-1717
Sat. 8 p.m. Comedy feat. Kevin Downey Jr.
Wildflowers Inn

2572 Pennington Rd. Pennington

Sat. 9 p.m. Live Acoustic Rock
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke

All shows 21+

About the author:

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Danny Coleman is a veteran musician and writer from central New Jersey. He hosts a weekly radio program entitled 'Rock On Radio' airing Sunday evenings at 7:00pm EST on ThePenguinRocks.com where he features indie/original bands and solo artists.

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