I saw Iowa-native William Elliott Whitmore at Stonefly with some friends last night. Of the three times I saw him, this was probably among the best. My first experience with his bluesy, old-timey music was powerful and unexpected, and was also followed by the excellent band, Murder by Death.

This time seemed to hold all the right elements, though. Mr. Whitmore was able to play a longer show (40 whole minutes!), I was more familiar with his music, and he represented a casual everyman, which the audience just ate up. He mostly sat on stage strumming his banjo or guitar, crooning with his deep, gravelly voice, but at various times through his set he was accompanied by a basic drum set, or a bass guitar and a steel pedal. Between songs he'd bemoan the loss of a good beer (the bar was out of IPA) or how quickly embarassing videos find their way onto the internet. Mostly he was very pleased to be playing in front of a generous crowd.

There are so few times when I go to a show where I appreciate the genuine attitude of the performers. Most of the time the audience is merely a formality towards making money. Mr. Whitmore doesn't appear to have even heard about money. He's all about the love.

Some favorite quotes:
"Sh*t, that mustache looks awesome. I never thought I'd say that to a girl."
"I'm speaking directly to the internet: I don't like to f*ck and fight at the same time."

Tonight I'm debating about seeing <strong>Toots and the Maytals</strong>. The biggest problem I have with it, is I don't want to hang out at <strong>The Rave</strong> all night.

And I just checked The Rave website...Stone Sour is still together? Ugh.