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August 4, 2007 @ Exit In—The Gabe Dixon Band The Gabe Dixon Band Rocks a Capacity Crowd at the Exit In The last time Listen!Nashville reviewed The Gabe Dixon Band was eight months ago — it was New Year's Eve at the Exit In. That night was not spectacular, but it was clear to me then that this band had amazing talent and amazing songs. I ended the review by saying "look for a slow build-up from The Gabe Dixon Band, which will eventually draw large appreciative audiences." The slow build-up took only eight months, as Gabe Dixon, Winston Harrison, and Jano Rix filled the Exit In this past Saturday night, and delivered a tight, solid set of piano driven pop/rock. Saturday night's set had an organic feel, as Gabe performed on the acoustic piano more than usual, resulting in a kind of jazzy Ben Folds Five vibe. Jano Rix's drumming continues to be a highlight of this super-talented trio, and he sets his kit up stage-right rather than in the typical back-center position which, for a trio that lacks a frontman to draw everyone's attention to the center of the stage, allows the audience an opportunity to watch one of the best drummer's in the world work his percussive magic (see photo). Fiddle player Casey Driessen joined the band for one song, "More Than it Would Seem," but exited the stage soon after its completion (see photo). Bassist Winston Harrison was as solid as ever, providing jazzy in-the-pocket bass-lines as he always does (see photo). Gabe Dixon, who was clearly excited by the size of the audience, offered up a couple new songs, which were consistent with his habit of delivering solid pop songs while also managing to lay down hot jazz riffs in-between verses. The man works as hard as Bruce Springsteen to deliver the goods, and still manages to smile for just about the entire set. One of the set's highlights came when opener Jeremy Lister joined Dixon onstage to perform a killer version of The Beatles' "A Day in the Life." Lister took on Lennon's part perfectly while Dixon chimed in for the McCartney parts (see photo). I had seen these guys perform this song once before, about eight months ago during Gabe's Christmas celebration at The Rutledge. Saturday night's version was brilliant. The Gabe Dixon Band will be performing August 17th at The Rutledge for this venue's big one-year anniversary party. You don't want to miss this. Frank will be running a killer sound, and GDB will no doubt sound better than ever. With heavy touring and a carefully produced forthcoming record (no word on this yet), GDB are potentially on the verge of becoming a household name, and the Aug. 17th show promises to be a spectacular evening, don't miss it (see photo). —Vincent Wynne |
