Dax Riggs, Dorthia Cottrell
Tuesday, June 25 at McCormack’s Irish Pub
Dax Riggs, who made his name back in the 90s as the frontman for Louisiana metal band Acid Bath, has been doing the solo blues thing for a while now. Being a longtime fan, I originally planned to head to Raleigh, NC to see him play at The Maywood (formerly Volume 11 Tavern) on Monday, June 24th. Thankfully Parker Chandler (Cough) threw together a last minute addition to Dax’s tour schedule to include a stop in RVA on Tuesday, June 25th.
Dax Riggs, Dorthia Cottrell
Tuesday, June 25 at McCormack’s Irish Pub
Dax Riggs, who made his name back in the 90s as the frontman for Louisiana metal band Acid Bath, has been doing the solo blues thing for a while now. Being a longtime fan, I originally planned to head to Raleigh, NC to see him play at The Maywood (formerly Volume 11 Tavern) on Monday, June 24th. Thankfully Parker Chandler (Cough) threw together a last minute addition to Dax’s tour schedule to include a stop in RVA on Tuesday, June 25th. This worked out well, since I had to work both days and would be doing the after-work hustle down and back.
The show took place at McCormack’s Irish Pub, which has seen a huge decline in popularity. I can’t speak for normal clientele, but if you talk to people that used to frequent shows there it comes down to things like no smoking upstairs (where groups play), no upstairs restroom, and the bar upstairs not being open either. This forces everyone to go downstairs and possibly miss something.
Opening the evening was the soulful, raspy vocal style of Dorthia Cottrell (vocalist for Windhand). Armed with only a guitar and voice, she plied her stripped down acoustic soul. Her voice carries a natural old timey RnB sound that is breathy and mellow, but can strike with power when needed.
Billed as a rare solo performance, Dax Riggs came equipped with an acoustic guitar and a friend named Lucas Broussard. Dax’s set mixed a good deal of covers and material dating from his Deadboy and the Elephantmen days (“Ancient Man”) with current faves of mine such as “Gravedirt on my Blue Suede Shoes” and “Night is the Notion.”
Dax picked a good side man with Lucas. He held his own with vocal harmonies to Dax’s distinctive croon and sported a 1964 Hofner bass, just like the kind used by Paul McCartney (he had a Beatles side bag to boot). I spoke to him after the show and he is an affable gentleman.
The set was a good mix of proto-rock and dark gothic hymns to the children of the earth. At times the tunes moved from somber and soulful to upbeat and powerful. Dax is an unmistakable talent in this age of non-distinct music. He also has a quality that is beautiful in that he seems genuinely happy that people are there to see him. I wish much success on this man. He deserves it. And swaying to his music with the one you love is a wonderful experience. Check out his latest album, Say Goodnight To The World, on Fat Possum Records.
