Sidney and the Detours hit the stage as old blues souls in a new musical alliance.
Last night at The Rose, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy drew an SRO crowd of inked rockabillies, stingy-brim fedoras and the usual Eastside hipster crowd, but Pasadena is still vibrating from the power of opening acts “The Sound of Ghosts” followed by “Sidney and the Detours.”
Both starting bands draw from roots music, jump blues, and a thousand heritage sources in the great American songbook of the past century. “The Sound of Ghosts” are about to launch a national tour titled “Come Home”. Even if you’re from the NYC boroughs, as I am, the sound rings true. Thumping-fast stand-up bass with searing fiddle and tenor banjo overlays are just the beginning for this LA-based indie band with an Americana vibe. Download from www.soundtrax.com, enter “”mttstkKe”, and click “GET YOUR MUSIC.”
Next up, “Sidney and the Detours”, a fusion of soulful players who formed this new band after years of casually gigging together. A recent community blues challenge got them together onstage less than a year ago. Sidney’s vocal Friday night was by turns scorchy, smoky, salty, spicy, swampy and sultry against the driving backup of percussion and galloping rhythm guitar.
Lead vocalist (props to Aretha and Janis) Sidney Iverson and her partner in music, wine and God-knows-what-else, composer/producer/keyboards guy Scott Page-Pagter, also produce fine Napa wines under their own private label and offer these at exclusive tastings . Sidney revealed to The Los Angeles Beat that they’re considering loading Scott’s keyboards and some amps into the back of a pickup truck toward the approach of harvest season so that they can serenade the growing grapes in situ. She’s a little bit country, he’s a little bit rock-and-roll.
As for The Rose, housed in Pasadena’s Paseo shopping center, the cocktails are potent, the Flatiron steak is succulent, the communal seating is convivial, and the wait-staff is on fleek. Summer headliners will include the Wailers, Judy Collins, Ted Nugent, Foghat, and Blue Oyster Cult. Reservations required, 844-379-0370.
