Bringing Up Babies: Hamilton’s Best Crew

That’s not to take anything away from Brothers Past: This is strictly about preference. I’m all for the high-energy, jamtronic full throttle that band displays night in and night out, but I’d sooner plunk my money down for a song-driven set with top-notch musicianship and three-part harmonies (well, hey, Russo can sing!) that alternates effortlessly from downcast to downright cheery. And when you can trot out a cache of great material supported by world-class musicians that genuinely dig playing with each other, generating a consistent fanbase is surely well within reach.

The bio information on Hamilton’s website mentions his similarities on wistful tunes to a young Gram Parsons or a more sober Ryan Adams. I’d love to contradict that statement, but whoever wrote it pretty much nailed it on the head (I’ll even piggyback with a hint of the Man in Black). And given the success of those musicians, I hope he takes the comparison to heart and keeps the Babies on board.

Let’s take a look at a couple more photos for the night — here’s Metzger sporting his serious look, as opposed to his patented “I’m on a rollercoaster” solo face:

And here’s another hazy shot of the American Babies:

The calendar’s clean, and I’m not sure the Babies have any gigs off the public radar, but if Hamilton brings this band to town, you know what to do…