Last week, when I interviewed Child Ballads for another local publication, singer/guitarist Stuart Lupton told me that when the band performed on Wednesday at Velvet Lounge the line-up would be him and guitarist Luke Wyatt performing a song heavily influenced by the work of director Michael Mann. So I kind of expected something along these lines.

That’s not necessarily what transpired, however. Instead, Lupton spent most of the evening reading his poetry and sharing the stage with former Cramps/Gun Club/Bad Seeds guitarist Kid Congo Powers (who read from of his memoirs). When Child Ballads finally performed they did not conjure the ghost of Sonny Crockett so much as that of J. Spaceman. But I dunno, maybe that’s for the best.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GaoS5F6Ln8]