Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires, Eleganza, Nato Coles and the Blue Diamond Band

7th Street Entry July 8, 2018

by Cyn Collins

Photography by Mark Wojahn

What better way to spend the night together, shaking off some of our Bourdain blues, dancing hard with friends, and people congregating to enjoy experiencing Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires, Eleganza! And Nato Coles and the Blue Diamond Band?

Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires, of Birmingham, Alabama, returned to the 7^th Street Entry on their summer tour, performing with their friends, excellent rock band Eleganza. They've performed with Eleganza! every Minneapolis (and surrounding area) show since they began coming here to perform one or two times a year, for years. And this time, they brought Eleganza with them to perform at the Lyric Room in Green Bay the night before, also with Green Bay area band, the New Old Thing.

Although many people were reeling and saddened from the shocking news that day that Anthony Bourdain had left this world, there was an electricity of excitement in the room for the real, raucous, straight from the heart, rock ‘n’ roll that Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires, Eleganza! and Nato Coles always bring. Many who’d seen these bands were there, as well as new fans who heard about them from word of mouth.

Nato Coles and the Blue Diamond Band kicked the night off with a high energy set of anthemic straight-ahead punk and indie rock - at times reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, other times, Tom Petty - with a mix of powerful rockers and covers, and a flurry of high jumps and kicks.

As always, Lee Bains III and Glory Fires’ Lee Bains, Eric Wallace and Blake and Adam Williamson were in the audience and up front watching the bands, and warmly greeting old friends they’d made at former shows, and new ones.

When Eleganza took the stage, frontman Brian Vanderwerf joked about playing with Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires whenever they’re in town, “whether you like it or not!” (We audiences love it, as do Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires). Blake shared with me that they tell people Eleganza is their favorite band to play with and always love doing so do whenever they’re in Minneapolis.

Eleganza! were on fire this night! Brian’s voice was rough from singing and screaming raw rock and roll at their Green Bay show. That didn’t stop him and Eleganza mates from giving it all they got, as they always do . . . from the gut and from the heart. A couple people quipped Brian sounded even more rock ‘n’ roll with his gruffer voice . Vandy has a great rock 'n' roll and outlaw country voice, he's honed over many years. Eleganza somehow miraculously manage to sound even more cohesive, and synergistically tight with every show. 

Bandmates - frontman/vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Brian Vanderwerf, guitarist Greg McAloon, guitarist Jeffrey Johnson, bassist and vocals Tony Zaccardi, and drummer Tim Baumgart  - have an visceral band chemistry that’s energizing and exciting to experience live. Having played together for several years, and in various bands for decades (such as Chooglin' Midnight Evils, Kruddler), they are real rock, raw, honest, dirty guitar-driven rock ‘n’ roll with heart. The songs are well-written - poignant, with wry humor, sometimes nostalgic for the past be such as “Old News,” beautifully fraught with emotional tension, sometimes moving on without looking back as in “Man on the Move.”

Nearly half of Eleganza’s current set are newer songs, not included on their forthcoming record, Full Length, This show included a couple of brand new songs they’d played only a handful of times. A few of my newer favorites include ”Sick of What I Need,” “Treat Yerself Right” and Rolling Stones-esque “Here Comes Trouble.”

 “Suffer Time” is wryly funny with infectious energy. Vandy engaged audiences with funny self-effacing humor and brief anecdotes. He expressed gratitude and friendship toward Eleganza’s several years show mates and close friends Lee Bains II and the Glory Fires, then dedicated, as is now tradition, their sultry Southern rock styled “Alabama Bound” to this band from Birmingham (where Eleganza! has gone to perform with them as well).

Eleganza performances are tightly wound, the band members synergistically locked in with each other and yet they sound loose in all the right places, with jangled, ringing guitars, making many dance wildly. Tony Zaccardi helped more on vocals as Brian requested due to his ravaged voice from the night before. Tony’s stage confidence is growing, he’s singing more, joyously playing his bass with prowess and dance moves.

After one song, (I think “Treat Yerself Right,”) Vandy jokingly clarified it was about it being “okay if you fuck up, not about “you are a fuck up.” Their closer “Big City Filth” – which I would think should be the first single released from their forthcoming record - featured excellent intense buildup performed with a taut transition into the climactic kickass ending. Eleganza made people in the audience – including all the Lee Bains members -  dance hard, bang heads, pump fists, yell, laugh and have a good time. A great real rock ‘n’ roll show like how they used to be, and should be, no holds barred.  

Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires brought “Sweet Disorder” to us, wild, raucous, real Alabama rock ‘n’ roll. They performed several songs from their most recent, extraordinary double album, Youth Detention (Nail My Feet Down to the Southside of Town). Their songs address racial tension, industrialization, corporate greed, dirty politics, homophobia, xenophobia and more.

They performed with a ferocious, fiery energy, fueled by the crowd, the crowd fueled by them. Lee Bains introduced the songs, sharing the stories and inspiration behind them, who they’re about and who they’re meant for, to enrapt audiences who truly listened, then cheered wildly, identifying with and inspired by the story. Then LBIII & GF would tear into the songs like there was no tomorrow, performing tight, grungy, dirty rock, punk with soul with elements of gospel for good measure.  One audience member, who's worked with a lot of bands over the years noted "They're like 4-5 bands in one and it really works!" I thought, Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires are akin to a fine Southern stew, sometimes simmering, sometimes rapid boiling, pot of soul, punk, blues, rock and gospel.

Adam Williamson played incredible intense bass. Lee Bains III and Eric Wallace played real rock and punk guitars lightning fast at times, others slow and twangy, like the best of country rock, transitioning fluidly into punk as they all traversed and wove various styles flawlessly, creating a new sound, that sounds old, from an amalgam of styles they grew up with. People were dancing, pogo-ing and fist pumping like mad, beaming smiles and love for the band, the boys invigorating them, inspiring them to go raise some hell, stir things up. 

Lee shared the story behind “Black and White Boys,” a song against racism. Introducing “Underneath the Sheets of White Noise, he said “this one’s about listening." And, you could’ve heard a pin drop – in the Entry! – as people were indeed really listening. Lee introduced “Good Ol’ Boys” listing the politicians (good ol’ boys who actually aren’t) before tearing into the song about what the good ol' boys or girls are and should be. He talked about standing up for your rights, no matter what, or who you are before a riveting rouser about that.

They performed an earlier favorite, rebel rousing, “The Company Man” with the audience defiantly singing along. Lee Bains and band performed with intensity and passion, beaming with exuberance and spreading a contagion of joy, and electrifying energy between the band and the audience, rarely witnessed. Lee was often leaning into and held up by the crowd, or jumping off-stage, playing and singing while a part of the crowd. The band members were dancing and head banging or hair spinning. On some songs, especially the faster, more punk-driven ones, drummer Blake Williamson reminded me of a young Grant Hart, also a singing drummer  – long dark hair flying sometimes covering his face, sometimes revealing his ebullient grin as he hit hard, loud, fast.  

“Keep It On the Dirt Track” was their closer before 2 song encore. They performed this with their always amazing breakdown in the middle, slowing down playing lower, slower and quieter, melodic guitar shifting and building a dramatic slow tension with feedback, building up again to a climactic, powerfully passionate full audience sing-a-long, chanting repeatedly, "Keep on workin', keep it on the dirt track, until Lee yowled and they tore into a fast, furious exciting finish. They quickly returned to the stage for their scintillating 2-song encore, delighting audiences. They dedicated one song to their incredible host (with Brian) and cook of their delicious pork chops earlier that evening, Angela, and we gleefully danced. Then after the show, hanging out by the merch table which included their three albums and a possum T, meeting and greeting, catching with friends in the bands and audience and talking with new fans. 

Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires, Eleganza! and Nato Coles/BDB continue to show us what real, raw, raunchy, rock 'n' roll is, and that musicians can be one with their audiences, less of a divide, more of a coming together for the love of the music and sharing the night together, making new memories, embracing old.

Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires perform several dates across the U.S. through June and are working on a new live album coming out in the next half year, which will include the band’s favorite live performances and Lee Bains III song introductions.