Last week’s show at The End was actually my first introduction to Blacktop Mojo. I had heard of them obviously, (Texas is a big state, but it functions like a small town, and Blacktop Mojo and I both call the Lonestar State home) but I wasn’t really plugged in to what they were doing. Usually I won’t go into an assignment “flying blind” but I was interested to see what sort of vibe they had live. Not to mention, I had been itching to catch a show at The End from the moment I got into town at the beginning of August.
The End is nearly quite literally a hole in the wall, situated behind a pizza joint just off Elliston. I drove past it twice before I finally figured out where it was. The interior is similar to most other dive bars, dark, cramped, and sticky, but with one distinct difference.
The walls are painted with the names of historic and famous acts that at some point in the past have called the stage at The End home. The Black Crowes, The Flaming Lips, and Cage the Elephant just to name a very few. This gives the space the feeling of a sort of punk rock hallowed ground. It’s a temple to rock and roll. There’s an enormous amount of potential energy radiating from the stickered walls of The End. It’s a no-frills proving ground, and I think every band that steps across the worn stage carries with them that hope that their name will be moved from the marquee to the wall someday.
Opening bands Hippies and Cowboys and Sons of Our Fathers did a killer job warming up the crowd for Blacktop Mojo, each of them offering their own distinct take on roots-y hardrock. You always know it’s going to be a good rock show if someone is wearing some sort of fur hat. (That’s a sentence I never thought I would say, but I stand by it.)
By the time Blacktop Mojo was due to take the stage, The End was packed full of rowdy rock enthusiasts ranging in age from a bit younger than me, to a bit older than my parents. The place was packed out, and I was secretly glad I had a photo pass for this assignment and wouldn’t have to fight my way to the front of the venue like I sometimes do.
Blacktop Mojo took the stage and immediately had full command of the crowd. This is a quality of musicianship that I think some critics take for granted, or really don’t examine. Sure I knew they were good players; I had sampled their oeuvre on spotify prior to the show. But being a musician and being a performer are different.
Blacktop Mojo are both. And they moved the crowd like they were puppet masters.
The music itself has that Southern rock flair that is uniquely Texas. Fans of bands like Pantera, the Toadies, and Tripping Daisy will know what I’m talking about. This is the type of rock that picks you up by the scruff of the neck like a stray kitten. It’s sweaty, hard hitting, no bullshit, working man’s rock n roll. Blacktop Mojo played through a good portion of their new record, hitting a couple of my personal favorites, Wicked Woman and Bed Tundy. Each offering was in your face, balls to the wall rock and roll, and it hit just as hard live as it did on the record, if not harder.
Perhaps the best portion of the show, though, was when frontman Matt James picked up an acoustic guitar and played a couple stripped down songs on his own. His adaptation of Temple of the Dog’s Call Me a Dog actually gave me full body chills, a sensation usually foreign to dive bars, unless someone has just spilled a beer down the back of your shirt.
All in all, I was impressed. To eke out a following as a contemporary rock band is hard- doing that while not being contrived or a re-hashing of something someone else has already done is even harder. Blacktop Mojo, in my opinion, has done both. This is a band you're definitely going to want to keep on your radar, because they're gonna have their names up on the wall at The End before you know it.