Jukebox Upchuck #24

I've tried so many times to convince people that Chicago's Catfish Haven are worth their time that I've lost count. For the most part, I've failed. Whatever. I still dig 'em. They put on one of the best live performances you'll see from a trio fronted by an acoustic guitar. George Hunter fuses Joe Cocker with Sam Cooke in such an effortless way, it's disarming. So disarming, methinks, that it scares the bejesus out of most peeps. I've gone to Catfish Haven shows and witnessed Hunter lay it all on the line -- spewing sincere clichés as if they were cheaper by the dozen (just as the black soul brethren he cherishes once did before him). At these shows, white, typically snobbish indie kids look as if they're trapped in an uncomfortable half nelson, too dumbstruck and insecure to dance to a trio of white indie kids channeling black rhythm & blues. One can see their minds turning, scrambling to answer the question, "Where is my precious irony?" It's sad, really.* Ahem. /end rant, cue music\

Catfish Haven – "I Don't Worry"
Catfish Haven – "Let It Go"
Catfish Haven – "Down By Your Fire"

*Or, maybe they just need to be force fed some Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett?