From: edwards@andy.bgsu.edu (Bruce Edwards)
Subject: Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters
Organization: Bowling Green State University B.G., Oh.
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 18:56:51 GMT

From time to time you have the opportunity to
see and hear someone play the instrument which
is the namesake and focus of this group at a
time when the right combination of talent,
setting and company push the experience right
into the spiritual resulting in such a moving
and satisfying event that (if you have access
to a wide audience and an terminal) you just want
to selfishly and unashamedly relate it to those
you may suspect have had similar moments and can
appreciate, or at least forgive what will be a
purely subjective narrative of Thursday night
September 9th at Sully's in Detroit when after
too, too long Ronnie Earl & The Broadcasters returned
to do two shows for a packed house. I love the
blues and Ronnie Earl plays them in a distinctive,
clean and classy presentation from the bottom of
his heart. From the moment he took the stage there
were two very clear facts, Mr. Earl is a consumate
professional, brilliant musician and a artist who
really cares about his music and his audience. Sully's
is a great place to experience the full brunt of this
singular performance not because of its food or atmosphere
(to tell the truth its a tad on the rundown and seedy side,
as any respectable blues club ought to be :-), and I can
recommend the Creole Gumbo soup with just a spash of
Inner Beauty hot sauce) but because of its limited cubic
capacity, and tiny stage force an immediate intimacy on
the occasion.  This especially true last night and in my case
sitting 18 inches away from Mr. Earl in my face blazing away
on a stratocaster colored perhaps the most revolting shade of
orange I've have seen in my life. Carried away in that blues
space where only he goes, I was nearly bashed in the head on
several occasions by the aforementioned strat as Ronnie
relentlessly fired off these fire-flicking licks and 
painfully beautiful phrases pecariously leaning out over
the chair I was glued to for nearly the entire evening.
I could not take my eyes off his hands and sincerely felt
at the end of the evening that Mr. Earl would be entirely
within his rights to ask me for the price of guitar lessons
as well as the cover I had already paid at the door. The
evening started with Steve Nardello a 'local boy' who did
some warmup ala John Lee Hooker on a hollow body Gibson and
racked harp, later to return and close out the night with
RE & company playin harp and doing some great vocals
Sadly, The Broadcasters need someone out front, Ronnie does
not sing (at least to my knowledge) and even guitar crazed
fans like myself could have used the relief of some soulful
singing alongside the intensity of Mr. Earl by and by ... we'll
see what happens - Daryl Nutlisch (sp?) the bands previous
vocalist and harp player left 'after a recent falling out on the
road', to take up with, I believe, Texas Heat. All and all an
amazing evening of the blues.  I was later to discover that
the fortunate proximity of RE's guitar work to my eager eyes
and ears was due to a bad ceiling leak and Mr. Earl's desire
to seek the drier domain of stage left. I'll quit now - do
check Ronnie out, if you're disappointed, *I'll* give you
your money back!

edwards@andy.bgsu.edu


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edwards@andy.bgsu.edu