This Little Underground

Defunct local band the Die Tryin's were resurrected, at least for one night (Feb. 27, Will's Pub), as a duo. When they were around, they were one of the more notable folk bands in town. And though there was more than a little rust, they showed enough to remind me that I miss 'em.

It was also good to see Orlando punk-folker Johnny Knuckles back up in the bright lights. Of the few local notables who till the soil between rough edges and sweet, soulful heart, he's one of the best. And don't let that burly, tatted bouncer appearance fool you – the guy's got a pretty enormous sense of humor. He twanged it out and displaced its context enough that it was unrecognizable until the lyrics sank in, but he closed his set with a rendition of the theme song from … The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. How many country toughs do you know who'd do that? He also did a reworking of "Folsom Prison Blues" that amusingly skewered local hipster culture and, if recorded and made available, could be an Orlando classic.

Co-headlining with Knoxville's Matt Woods was Adam Lee. Between his devotion to O.G. country music and that Cash-esque pompadour, the Kansas kid burned with a proto-rock & roll resonance, laying down a rich and rollicking set of sweet honky-tonk and fiery folk that brought up local twangster and fellow hard-liner Daniel Berry for a song.

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