Dan Sartain sports a pompadour and plays a multifaceted brand of rock ’n’ roll, borrowing from the blues, rockabilly, surf and punk genres. In 2010, the Birmingham-based Sartain released “Bohemian Grove” on 7-inch vinyl record via Third Man Records. The loose, piano-centric, Dr. John-style boogie runs five minutes. By contrast, the minute-and-a-half tracks on this year’s
Too Tough To Live channel the compressed, melodious sound of The Ramones (and sometimes uncannily resemble the late Jay Reatard). Best of all, second track “Now Now Now” features vocals by Go-Go Jane Wiedlin. A recent family emergency forced Sartain to cancel all the shows leading up to tonight’s, so everyone should be sure to make him feel our city’s compassion — try not to heckle, and if you can afford it, buy the man a drink after the show.
— William Hooker