On a recent Friday night, fellow Dallasites congregated at Deep Ellum’s Double Wide Bar for a night of local (Austin counts, right?) music. RTB2, THe BAcksliders and Leatherbag did not disappoint, offering up a spirited, fun, and energetic live set.
The night started off with Denton’s RTB2, fresh off their wins at the 2010 Dallas Observer Music Awards (Best Group, Best Blues Act). They played a energetic quick set to a small crowd of about 20. While not quite as good as his set at Trees during the DOMAXXII showcase (Ryan Thomas Becker’s vocals were a tad muted), it still proved why the band were heavily nominated at DOMAXXII.
Next up was Austin’s Leatherbag. Not knowing much about this band heading in, they turned out to be a pleasant surprise on the night. Described during the show as “Bob Dylan meets The Clash meets The Pixies”, they certainly got the crowd rocking.
Finally, the last band on the night was the combined forces of RTB2 and THe BAcksliders, (also known as – RTBacksliders), who repeated their live mashup from the DOMAXXII awards show.
RTB2 & THe BAcksliders perform Wire to the Walls
The first time I saw RTB2, I wondered what their sound would be like with a full band behind them. RTBacksliders answer that question in resounding fashion. The combination of Ryan Thomas Becker’s vocals and instrumentation with Kim Bonner’s raspy vocals is a welcome one. The band played mostly songs from THe BAckslider’s catalog, with a few RTB2 tracks thrown in.
Final take:
If you are still uninitiated into the likes of RTB2 and THe BAcksliders, make sure you keep an eye out for upcoming shows. These are two Dallas bands you’ll want to catch live.
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