There are shows you go to and then there are shows that happen to you. Friday, July 11 at Park Theater Hudson with The Night Shakes and Billy X Wilder was very much the latter.
The evening kicked off with only the second live performance from Hudson Valley’s own The Night Shakes. Though you’d never know it.
This rockabilly wrecking crew came out swinging, sounding tighter and meaner than bands that’ve been grinding for years. Their set wasn’t just impressive, it was a full-on blitz.
Slapping the upright bass into submission and occasionally standing on it while playing was Chops, who doubles as the bassist for local luminaries, Unfinish’d Bizness. He’s not a bass player, he’s a spectacle.
The man treats gravity like a suggestion. If you’ve never seen a grown man ride a stand up bass like it’s a rodeo bull while still keeping perfect time, you haven’t lived.
Behind the kit was Russ Cashdollar, another Unfinished Bizness vet, hammering the drums with equal parts finesse and fire. Together, they built a rhythm section that felt like a runaway train barreling straight through the stage and loving every second of it.
Frontman Oliver oozes smart-ass charm, tossing out lyrics and smirks like he knows he’s already won you over. The band rolled through a set that included a song about fried chicken, because of course they did. It hit just as hard as everything else. Equal parts grit and goof, Oliver’s stage presence fills the room without ever trying too hard.
Then there’s Jannek, the mild-mannered assassin on lead guitar. Offstage, he’s quiet. Onstage? He turns into some kind of split-personality guitar demon, waging full-scale war on his fretboard. His solos don’t just scream, they bite.
The Night Shakes don’t play like a band finding their footing. They play like a band that already kicked the door down, raided your fridge and left the amp smoking. Keep an eye on them, or don’t and get left in the dust.
Then came Billy X Wilder, backed by six other musicians in a stage setup that looked more like a command center than a band. It was packed elbow-to-elbow with players, all locked in, no filler. Wilder leads with a voice that’s weathered and fearless, carving through songs rooted in Americana.
There’s no fluff, but there is plenty of heart, bite and full-bodied storytelling. You can feel the miles in his voice, the sweat in his lyrics and the mutual trust between him and his band.
The band itself delivered a big, rich sound through layers of guitars, percussion and harmony that never felt overcrowded, just dialed in.
Everyone on that stage knew their role, played the hell out of it and made damn sure the crowd felt it.
If The Night Shakes came out like a stolen car speeding toward a cliff, Billy X Wilder was the seasoned wheelman who knew exactly how to ride the edge.
It wasn’t just a great double bill, it was the kind of night that makes you grateful you showed up. If you’ve been sleeping on Park Theater Hudson, consider this your wake-up call. This place is cooking and with lineups like this, you’d be a fool not to catch the next one.
