The best local music news of 2017 so far is the at local blues rock band The Steve Keenan Band will be playing around Lethbridge more often.

 A good sized crowd caught an excellent set of blues and jam rock at the Owl Acoustic Lounge, Jan. 13. I was lucky enough to catch the band’s exceptional second set on Friday the thirteenth.

 They began with one of my favourite songs “Going Down,” with some stunning dual guitar harmonized leads from frontman Steve Keenan and and new guitarist Pete Watson, who has joined drummer Darwin Romanchuk and bassist David Popovitch. Keenan and Watson traded guitar leads throughout the set, which meant there was plenty of tasteful guitar based jams happening throughout the set.

Backed by the rock solid rhythm section, what’s not to like?

They stayed in a southern rock vein with  another jam on “Call me The Breeze.” before breaking out one of several original songs, which took the band in a more country direction.

 A jam on Eric Clapton’s “Lay Down Sally,” brought plenty of applause for each for Keenan and Watson’s guitar solos.
 An original “Cindy Lou,” was one of several of the country tinged highlights.

But they went back to the blues to end the set with “Pride and joy” before going country again with a jam on a medley of Johnny Cash hits “ Folsom Prison Blues,” “ Boy Named Sue” and “One Piece at a Time.”

They brought back the blues one more time with a hot version of blues classics “Sweet Home Chicago,” “Tore Down” and ended with some Bob Seger.
Set three was more of the same – classic rock and blues classics including CCR’s “ Rocking All over the World, featuring Keenan doing his best John Fogerty impression,” and blues classic “Further On Up the Road, ” which allowed Watson to show his skills.