I can usually get the sense of what a band is like in one set but that definitely wasn’t true of Petunia and the Vipers who played to a respectably sized Monday night audience at the Slice, Monday, July 7. I’m glad I rushed back from Calgary in time to see it.
Their first set was an eclectic but still consistent set of old school country music, a touch of jazz, more exotic gypsy jazz music and even some yodelling.
The Vipers seamlessly switched styles from hot, sweaty rockabilly to gypsy jazz and again to traditional country music. Guitarist Steve Nikleva took centre stage to play a Ventures style twangy instrumental on his Japanese made Teisco guitar, while Petunia left the stage to change a broken guitar string, though not before he finished his song.
Fiddler Kathleen Nesbit playing her first few shows as a Viper was a perfect fit for the more gypsy jazz style numbers and especially for the more country and bluegrass numbers to come.
They began their second set with an old time bluegrass circle featuring washboard, fiddle, mandolin, upright bass and Petunia playing acoustic guitar and performing a kazoo solo. They showed off some superb vocal harmonies.
Petunia let his band take centre stage on a couple numbers, trading his guitar for the stand up bass. That song got quite a few people dancing.
He also played a couple of songs on his own including a spoken blues number.
