The best time to be at J.J. Cagney's is on a weeknight when a good band is playing; it's not too crowded, but crowded enough to give the band ample energy. There's a little less smoke than on the weekends, and you don't have to wait so long to get a drink from the gorgeous bartender, Kristina. This was the case on a recent Wednesday night when Daly Planet put on their best show in months.
Now, if you don't like earthy-crunchy people, don't go see the Planet, because there's a lot of granola in their fan base. But if you can get past those stereotypes, or if you're a Spread-Head/Dead-Head/Phish-Head/hippie yourself, you've got a good act to entertain your earbuds with for a cheap price. The band is made up of four members (two of whom are the Daly brothers), and it is surprising what diversity they possess for such a small group.
Jevon Daly is the main frontman, singing lead on the majority of the songs as well as playing guitar, banjo, and mandolin. Though he is a good singer and a fine guitarist, his forte is the mandolin, and he plays the hell outa that sucker. Gavan Daly, the second brother, is accomplished on the drums, trumpet, and autoharp. In shows past, his drumming has been a bit weak and was much overshadowed by his expertise on the other instruments. But last week I was glad to see that Gavan has come into his own on the trap kit; he did some great fills and didn't miss a beat. My favorite Daly member is Ben Vaught, the guitarist. He was once considered a child protégé and is still extremely young for a touring musician. (I won't say how young for fear of getting him into some kind of trouble.) Though he often looks intimidated by the older musicians in the band, in many instances he has stolen the show.
The last member of the Planet (and I believe he was the last to join, replacing the Daly brother's father) is Jeremy Bitler, a bass player who seems old beyond his age, knowing the lyrics and chord progressions of old standards that even I have forgotten.
The Planet began its show with a bluegrass set. Usually these guys call themselves The Lowcountry Boil Bluegrass Band when they play unplugged, but I understand that they've been treating J.J.'s to some fine finger pickin' for at least one set the last couple of times they played here. The bluegrass is traditional for the most part, and they do a fine job interpreting Bill Monroe classics (especially for a bunch of hippies), but they also have quite a few original bluegrass tunes in stock, most of them with hilarious lyrics. The bluegrass is my favorite part of the show, and Jevon really rips on that mandolin when the band gets goin'. It's even better when the Daly brother's father joins in (he taught them everything they know) or when they invite their youngest brother (who can't be more than 12 and plays a mean mandolin, but whose name I do not know).
The later sets were comprised of electric material, a mix of originals and Grateful Dead covers. I've gotta hand it to these guys - they've got Jerry's guitar style down pat and they have that bouncy rhythm-lead action that I've only heard from only one other band - the Dead themselves. This is probably as close as we'll ever get to a Miracle in Savannah, Ga. The original material in the electric sounded like unreleased dead songs, with a southeast influence and contained some classic lyrics. The lyric that stands out best in my mind is "I'm gonna change my style, gonna change my mind, might even change my jeans" from the Daly song "Getting' High With Jesus." You can check it out on their debut CD or, better yet, go see the show next time at J.J.'s - the Planet is best when they are live!
