Robert Ellis "No Fun"

I think I inherited from my Dad this certain piece of DNA that the Human Genome Project has not fully identified.

It's the gene that drives me (like my Dad) to want to be the first to arrive and the last to leave.

I always watch the movie through to the end credits, just in case there's some kind of post-credits bonus scene surprise.

I hate to miss anything.

That's why when I go to a concert, I always try to be early enough for the opener.

I went to see the Old 97s last week, and knew absolutely nothing about the opener, Robert Ellis. I could have been discouraged by their admission that they hadn't fully Sound Checked, and they were kinda sick of their own songs so they were going to do mostly covers. But I wasn't.

Why?

Because Robert Ellis and his band threw down a shit-kicking 45 minutes of classic country covers with a few great originals sprinkled in.

The Wellfleet Beachcomber is not exactly a Texas Roadhouse, but the room was definitely rocking to songs written by Lefty Frisell, Faron Young and Willie Nelson.

The video below doesn't quite capture the energy, the playfulness or the tight-tight-tightness of this band, so you'll have to go see them live, to hear what I heard.

But the exciting surprise of loving a band I'd never heard of, made me glad to have the genes I do.

(Plus, this original is a riot.)

Hear the song on Youtube.