The KELLY 95 Unplugged Finals at Xander's!

Wednesday April 26th, 2006! - Xander's Grill

KELLY 95 FM threw one hell of a party with some of Bakotopialand's best up and coming talent. So crazy, I barely recovered! Bare with me, please.... ;-)

Originally dubbed "Unplugged," the show was anything but.

It was rockin' out!!

I'm not usually the acoustic type, unless it involves horns and congas, but on this night, I was again reborn as a true acoustic music believer.

Near Miss Mallet was a great way to start the night for me. Melissa and Brock Wiggins, along with the rest of The Mallet gave some mellow pop goodness, reminiscent of one of my all-time favorite bands, The Sundays.

Near Miss Mallet has been around for quite awhile, with a few member changes along the way. Their latest CD, Telephone To Girl In Glass Bathtub, is a great collection of catchy pop folk tunes and radio ready singles.

I remember reading an old review of this CD when it was initially released, and the review was not very flattering. The reviewer was wrong...

Telephone To Girl In Glass Bathtub by Near Miss Mallet, is 13 tracks of pure pop goodness. Trust me on this.

From the opening track, "15th Floor Serenade," to the my favorite, "Miss America," to "Leaving," to "Kissed Tonight," it's a suprise that Near Miss Mallet have not gone onto bigger things. Why isn't "Miss America" in regular rotation on Kelly 95FM???

Mallet's keyboardist, Gavin Landless, commented that Melissa Wiggins writes more songs than anyone he knows. Cheers to Near Miss Mallet!

Since I was busy running around the place looking for peeps and taking pictures, my time table of the night is kind of out of wack, so pardon the next sections of my review if they seem a little off.....

Okay, I'm gonna tell you right now..I missed Johanna Sarad's performance, and I only had time to hear one Joel Jacob song..SORRY JOHANNA AND JOEL!!! I owe you both!!!

Well, back to the show.

Jon Ranger and Soulajar (or is just Jon Ranger?,) performed as tightly as ever. Jon Ranger has such a soulful voice, I just may start calling him "White Chocolate."

Soulajar, the band with the best gear in town, blend nicely everytime I see them. No" stepping on toes," during their songs, just perfect "in the pocket," technique and a no-nonsense approach. I've seen Soulajar quite a few times, and they never let me down. Another band that should be taking off! KELLY???

One of the nights highlights was running in musical compadre, Jacob Calderon, a participant, but not a finalist in the competition.

Jacob and I chatted over some brews, talked music, and discussed his upcoming trip to Alaska.

"I'm gonna find me an eskimo mama," said Jacob. Word..

Since this review was written, Jacob has since left for Alaska. See ya when you get home bro!

Vertical Horizon stepped up to wow the ladies in the house with their hit, "Everything She Wants," played judge to the finalists, then hung out with the crowd to sign autographs, and party up.

Roxy, Party Boy Bueller, Mike Briggs, and other members of the KELLY 95 party crew were also in the house, warming up the crowd, keeping them hot , and of course, consuming some cool drinks, courtesy of the fantabulous staff at Xander's Bar & Grill, corner of 19th, and Chester Ave., in downtown Bakotopialand!