Lauris Vidal and drummer Billy Dean at Music Under the Stars in Hannibal, Mo.

“Here’s a song. It goes like this…” That was the simple introduction offered by a simple band with a not-so-simple sound.

Lauris Vidal and his drummer Billy Dean wowed the crowd at Music Under the Stars in Hannibal Thursday night. This duo, hailing from Florida, might look like a small two-piece act, but you would never be able to tell by their sound. Together for five years, Lauris and Billy have done a handful of semi-national tours, including one show in Hannibal two years ago. The Mark Twain Museum’s website described them as “alternative,” but to my ears their music was typically more akin to Louisiana Blues. It was the kind of music you would expect to hear in America’s Hometown. They are not a one-note tune, though; their show ranged across rock, folk, and the occasional reggae hint. Genre aside, Lauris both sings and plays with incredible heart, and Billy Dean gives credence to the phrase “drum machines have no soul.”

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Nestled in the heart of downtown Hannibal, in front of Mark Twain’s boyhood home, the stage was built for the weekly show. It was a chilly night, and the sky was looking for any excuse to rain. It never rained, but a tent was conveniently and coincidentally set up for the unveiling of the new “Mark Twain Forever” stamp this Saturday. Local businesses catered the event, and despite the small selection of eats and drinks, I was pleasantly surprised to find they had rootbeer floats. I had never been to a show with rootbeer floats, and it came as a great comfort to me later that night.

Tom and Becky made an appearance to introduce the band, which I thought was a quaint touch. I caught the hind end of this introduction because I was sitting behind the stage for the first part of the show. It turned out to be a really good seat because of the reverberation caused by the levy. After a while, though, I tired of that particular acoustic environment and started walking around. I settled on a bench within 10 feet of the stage. It probably would have been the best seat in the house if it hand been for an unfortunately placed light fixture. From my new position, I enjoyed more of both original and cover songs. Though the musicians were in short order, the musicianship certainly was not. Billy Dean switched from normal sticks to brush sticks, and he even played the cymbals with a tambourine for one song. Across the stage, Lauris would switch between his standard electric guitar, a lap slide guitar, and a ukulele that he fashioned from a mahogany desk.

A little after halfway through the show, a few drops fell on my head, and I feared the worst: rain. At least I thought I had feared the worst. I slowly noted it was a very isolated shower, and as I wiped my head, I came to find it was a white substance. I looked around and could not see Tom Sawyer painting any fences, so I promptly went and got a rootbeer float to make myself feel better.

Now on the other side of the street, drowning my sorrows in creamy deliciousness, Lauris Vidal turned it up to 11. During my favorite original song, Lauris played his ukulele and, to my amazement, proceeded to sing into it. That song smoothly transitioned into a ukulele cover of The Who’s “My Generation” that was so good I was worried he was going to smash his homemade instrument.

At the end of the show, they encouraged anyone and everyone to come to their merchandise table to meet them and talk to them. I ended up buying a CD after the show because— come on — how can you not respect guys that work their own merch table? I also had this urgent feeling that I would regret it if I did not buy a CD, and I was gratified when I read on the inside cover that the album was “100% Fan Funded.” If you ever have the opportunity, and you are sheltered from rogue birds, I highly recommend checking out one of Lauris Vidal’s high energy, soulful shows.

Patrick Cornell

The Cheeseburgers

Junefest this year was alight with beer, the smell of fried food, and former high school classmates.

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It also had some great music provided by The Cheeseburgers. Their self-proclaimed “cheesy” set list definitely had St. Dominic’s Junefest hopping last Saturday night. Well, at least they had the funnel-caked-out children hopping as their parents sat nearby to make sure no one got hit too hard in the face with an inflatable mallet. A lot of other people enjoyed from a distance, closer to the Budweiser truck than the music tent. I, for one, (it being my job and all) wandered over and enjoyed some Cheeseburgers. Contrary to popular belief, I was listening to good music, not eating by myself.

The Cheeseburgers’ show was captivating. Green, red, and blue lights were sporadically interrupted by bright white flashes of the strobe, and occasionally a couple of siren lights would go off. Smoke poured out from behind the band like they were burning their flatbed of a stage down. The live events on the Weekender page might say that they play classic rock, but that is nothing but an understatement. I heard a solid range of music ranging from 3 Doors Down to the band’s very appropriate theme song, Jimmy Buffet’s “Cheeseburger in Paradise.” I’m even pretty sure I heard “Brick House” as I was walking up. Certainly these are all classics in their own right, but they are different from the likes of Def Leppard or Blue Oyster Cult that I both expected and heard. The best part about playing songs that everyone already knows, redundantly, is that everyone already knows them. The Cheeseburgers often coaxed the crowd to sing along to their favorite choruses of yesteryear. To my enjoyment, the crowd participation didn’t end there.

I have to admit: the crowd involvement had its highs and lows. The low point was a failed group clap. I have already blatantly stated my irrational hatred of group claps in my first blog. Save it for the applause at the end because that is what it usually ends up sounding like anyway. This shortcoming was definitely overshadowed by the inclusion of a birthday girl on stage. She was given a cowbell and asked to help keep the beat in a very fun little medley of classic rocks songs. Then, as if simultaneously reading the minds of Christopher Walken and myself, they went into “Don’t Fear the Reaper.” I hope she feels she filled that prescription because she lived the dream for about five minutes and ten seconds.

The Cheeseburgers must have read my first blog before the show. Not only did they play great music, employ crowd participation, and operate light effects, but they also told jokes! During a short band introduction/solo segment, these “adults” seemed closer to my age than their own. They were showing off their skills and giving each other a hard time in the process. What really shocked me was when I ran into Burt Shackleton after the show and he told me this should be considered a “low-key” show for the Cheeseburgers. Apparently a wobbly stage prevented the quintet from being as rowdy as they would have liked. With that, I was sure that I would check them out again once they were on solid ground.

I would never want to short-change these great musicians by taking credit with my blog for the way they played their show. Really, the kind of show I saw Saturday night only comes from the “decades of live experience” boasted on their Local Q bio. These guys know what it is a crowd wants to see and hear, and what is better is that they know how to deliver. Make sure you keep an eye on the Q’s calendar so you can catch the next order of Cheeseburgers. Happy listening y’all.

Patrick Cornell

Live music can make Patrick Cornell cut a venue's rug to shreds.

Who doesn’t like music? In my opinion, music is one of the most amazing features of life on earth. It can be listening to music as I write this at home, music in the car on the way to the Herald-Whig, or even whistling while I work. I am never far from music, and music is never far from my heart. The only way to make listening to music even better is to add a visual or physical component. This is where live shows come in handy.

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A live show can be successful in my eyes in two ways. The first of these ways is to make the crowd dance. I recently finished reading a book entitled “This is Your Brain on Music” by Daniel J. Levitin. In addition to having a lot of neuroscientific reasoning on why we like certain music, the book describes how music and dancing probably co-evolved. This made a lot of sense to me given my natural impulse to shake my booty at music shows. I can usually suppress this instinct while I’m alone listening to my music, but if I am at a show and other people are dancing, I try my hardest not to cut the venue’s rug to shreds. I was actually excited to bring my moves back to Quincy until I found out about Larry “Tool” Toolate, Quincy’s iconic dancing man. I can’t hold a candle to that manic mover. Regardless, it really bums me out when people stand around at a show nodding their heads and mumbling, “Uh, it’s pretty good, yeah?” That brings me to the second type of successful show.

I understand a lot of people are not comfortable with their dancing skills. Heck, I used to be one of them. It takes a lot of courage to totally cut loose and more or less look like a fool. Only after going crazy and seeing how much fun, it was did I start to relax. Then, as I cared less, I had more and more fun. Still, some of my favorite shows I haven’t moved a meter (pun intended). Some bands can put on a truly awesome show. Not in the California sense, but in the literal sense. I am talking about the kind of show that puts you in a stupor of awe, the kind of show where you stand around nodding your head and mumbling, “Uh, it’s pretty good, yeah?”

Now, you may be thinking to yourself, “Patrick, that seems a little contradictory. How do you know people are not just in awe when you are on your dancing high horse?” To that I can only answer there is a difference between playing music and putting on a show. Standing on a stage and playing songs is not a show. Give me pyrotechnics. Give me a somersault. At least give me some crowd interaction. NOT group claps — I hate group claps. Talking in-between songs is good. A joke or two is great. Explaining the inspiration for a song is even better. If all I wanted was the music, I would have saved my money and put on a light switch rave in my bedroom.

With all of that said, I cannot wait to hit my first show in Quincy this weekend. A little bit of shameless publicity, but have you seen the calendar page of thelocalq.com? You should go straight from this article to that page if you haven’t been yet today. Lots of great stuff. You can even leave now if you want, I’m winding down.

I just don’t know what show to see Saturday night. Its either The Cheeseburgers or Cheeks McGee. Possibly The Cheeseburgers for an hour or so and then over to Cheeks McGee? You should go to one of the shows not only for the music but also for a 50 percent chance at seeing me dance like a maniac. Wherever you go, happy listening.

Patrick Cornell