Wine Amplified Friday @ The M Resort

Photos by Aileen Bird.

Sometimes it’s nice to get out to the ‘burbs for a night…a free show and complimentary wine tasting don’t hurt either. That’s what got us out to the M Resort this past Friday to check out The Lazystars and Dusty Sunshine at “Wine Amplified Friday.” We caught the tail end of DS’s set and the first thing I thought was: “Where’s the drummer?” Courtney Carroll was noticeably absent from the lineup; then I remembered that Kid Meets Cougar were playing a gig that same night across town. I guess the downside of having such a tight-knit music scene is that occasionally you get double-booked. Speaking of multitasking, does anyone have a tally of how many bands Megan Marie Wingerter is currently in? The ladies carried on in unplugged fashion, letting their vocal harmonies make up for the missing percussion.

We haven’t seen the Lazystars since last fall’s Neon Reverb, and they’ve had some more lineup changes along the way. Most recently, they parted ways with drummer (and one time Killer) Brian Havens. It seems as though frontman Dave Hawkins and bassist Joshua Jackson are the sole survivors from their infamous Battle of the Bands fiasco at Diablos a year and a half ago, and their sound has changed a bit as well. The dark brooding UK influence has taken a back seat to a more conventional pop sound, with the keyboards front and center. Hawkins’ voice still cuts through the mix quite nicely, and we’re itching to hear their new release.

As we sipped the complimentary wine on the open-air balcony, I thought, “It would be nice if they did this every week.” Turns out they do. I chatted with Chris Hammond, whose Rock ‘n Roll Wine promotes the event. They setup shop every Friday at Ravello inside the M Resort, with their red and white offerings, “The Grotto” and “Rhapsody.” The vino flows freely from 7-9pm, and you can count on some free live music ’til about midnight.

Local singer/songwriter Rick Duarte (of yacht rockers The Guilty Pleasures) frequently warms things up. Check out Most Thieves this Friday for another round.

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