Article written by Glenn Woodell,
Photos by Wendy Podmenik Darugar

Anthony Rosano and the Conqueroos and Seth Stainback and Roosterfoot always bring good crowds, but when the two are paired up with a national act, it’s sure to be a good time. This was the case when the two joined forces at Hampton’s weekly downtown block party with Planet of the Abts, a band formed relatively recently with the rhythm duo of Gov’t Mule. Matt Abts combined his drumming ability with Jorgen Carlsson on the four-string to create an entirely new sound. Carlsson’s long-time friend, T-Bone Anderson joined the two to create exciting rock and neo-classical sounds reminiscent to those of Pink Floyd.

The show started right on time at 6:00 during this relaxing, warm summer evening with Anthony Rosano and his blues warriors minus one. One of the Conqueroos, Paul Warren, had been recovering after surgery and was temporarily replaced by Jim Cahoon who was a perfect choice with his hard hitting finger work on the strings. Devil’s Hand was the opening song which got many of the locals up off their feet to this bluesy groove. The crowd was dancing to their classic cover, “Mojo Workin’” which is a Muddy Waters tune.

Anthony introduced his harmonica player, “Smilin’ Jack Campbell” before playing their most country song, “Jolene”. Paul Warren made a surprise visit and played “Come Together” with his band mates, fully against doctor’s orders, but everyone in the crowd was happy to see Paul back on the stage if even for one song. And not to disappoint anyone, Anthony pulled out his hand made cigar box slide guitar, a staple at every show.

Next on stage was Planet of the Abts. They told the energetic crowd that they were delighted to be in Hampton. They had just come from a Friday night show at The Camel in Richmond where they played along Anthony Rosano at the Conqueroos.

We had the opportunity to chat with Matt Abts a few days before the show, here’s what he had to say:

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GW:How did you end up playing here in Hampton? Did your prior living in Virginia have anything to do with it? Where did you live when you were in Virginia?

MA: POA is doing a 10 day east coast run and we needed a Virginia date to fill in the holes but in all the years I’ve been touring VA has always been a great place to play. My prior growing up in High School in Fairfax Va had nothing to do with it.

GW:Is there any affinity for the movie, The Planet of the Apes, in the naming of your band?

MA: Not necessarily an affinity for the movie but just a play on words.

GW: The usual minimum band size is usually four or five. Is there some reason you’ve stayed at only three and have you found the small size to be a help or a hindrance?

MA: Well trios are fun for me in that there is a lot of space to fill (or not, meaning less is more), but TBone sings, plays guitar and keyboards usually at the same time so it’s like an added member.

GW: One for the ladies. Matt, are you a natural blond?

MA: Natural blond

GW: How is All Things the Valley different from your self-titled debut album? Is it mostly material that you already had and managed to get recorded over the first few years or is it entirely new and recent material?

MA: So far for both albums we don’t really start writing until we’re in the record mode; someone brings in an idea, usually not a fully realized song and we three develop it into something . It’s exciting to work this way, from scratch, and see what forms.

GW: Any plans or thoughts for your next album or is that a little premature right now?

MA: Writing, recording, mixing, mastering, production, financing took about two years so we’re going to savor the moment for a while before thinking of the next record.

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For the Hampton show, Planet of the Abts played “Down for the Count” from new album, All Things the Valley, and “I Call You Whiskers”. They did an amazing cover of Pink Floyd’s “Empty Spaces” from The Wall album and announced that it was T-Bone Anderson’s birthday.

Seth Stainback took the stage last with his band, Roosterfoot and kept the audience in awe as he always does. His hard hitting, soulful rock and blues always seems to connect with so many people. He played songs from both of his albums, Earth and Worm and Fire and Steel, the 2014-winning album of the year in the local region.

Seth covered “The Letter”, written by Wayne Carson Thompson and made famous by Joe Cocker. Seth played a one-song encore in which he jumped down off the stage and into the audience to join the revellers.

The excited audience was evidence of a show well done by a bunch of bands that were highly anticipated and enjoyed.