The Winery Dogs played the main room at First Avenue last night for the 1st time to a very enthusiastic crowd. Mixing rock fans and local musicians, it reminded me of an old school rock show, the kind you don’t see that often anymore.
Up until they hit the stage I had never heard a note of their music. I was more familiar with the members of the band then I was with the band. Billy Sheehan the bass player for those of you that may not know has been in many popular bands over the years including Mr. Big and The David Lee Roth band. Mike Portnoy the drummer is best known for his work with Dream Theater. And last but not least, Ritchie Kotzen who also has quite the musical resume.
Over the last several years I can’t think of any band I have heard more about than The Winery Dogs so I had to check them out. I was pleasantly surprised how great they were or should I say, how much I enjoyed them. They were straight forward rock with a blues edge and considering how all of them are known as such technical musicians, I was happy to discover they were not prog rock.
After about the second song my first thought was, why would Ritchie Kotzen have ever joined Poison? My second thought was, wow are they really great! The entire set was all original material with the exception of one cover song. A version of Elvin Bishop’s 1970’s classic “Fooled Around And Fell In Love”. If you love live rock music with a little blues mixed in, The Winery Dogs are a band you should check out.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Tommy Sommers Photography
