Highline Ballroom
04 October 2008, 2000
Wow! I love the subdudes! Today, the subdudes are Tommy Malone (who in my opinion looks hauntingly similar to Dave Grohl), John Magnie, Steve Amedee, Tim Cook and Jimmy Messa. They started out back in 1987 with Malone, Magnie, Amedee and Johnny Ray Allen playing what they thought would be a one time gig at Tipitina's in New Orleans. At that point, most of the band had already played together as The Percolators and The Continental Drifters, so they knew that they had a significant amount of musical chemistry. After the overwhelmingly positive response they got at Tipitina's, the subdudes were born. In 1997 they decided to call it quits to explore solo careers and other opportunities much to the dismay of their dedicated fans. There was a brief time when three of the original members plus Tim Cook, Jimmy Messa and Sammy Neal, got back together as a band called the Dudes (hmmm...), but the music still sounded wonderfully like the subdudes. In 2003, the Dudes re-added the 'sub' and once again started touring and recording as the subdudes.
The subdudes' music is a mix of rock, southern rock and a twangy New Orleans blues sound. Their most notable feature, aside from their fantastic harmonizing vocals featuring Malone on lead, is their use of a tambourine player instead of a drummer. Amedee actually played the tambourine with an old wooden spoon at their first gig in New Orleans. One of the other features that gives them their signature sound is the fabulous Magnie on accordion.
The show was absolutely fantastic and the rest of the audience seemed to be in complete agreement as they fled their tables and stormed the aisles to dance towards the end. The highlight of the evening was definitely when the band decided to unplug completely and meander into the audience to play the acoustic treat Rain. I have been listening to the subdudes casually for years, but I had never been to a show before last night. It was wonderful to hear them live and I hope that they continue to tour so that I can catch them again soon!
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