By Brent Michael, Rock At Night Senior Photojournalist
Venue: Union Hall, Lakeland, FL August 23rd, 2024
Band Links: Alex Lopez Xpress, Memphis Lightning
Note: Most in-text links do not link to the same places as these links do, these are just the first/primary links where my band research started. Follow them all for maximum fun!
Monsters of rock? Or Munsters? Well, normally these bands are neither (though we’ll talk about Munsters later), but this night was special! See, the venue was having lighting issues, and even though the band had some lights, there was no way to mount them, so they ended up sitting on the floor of the stage, creating the effect known among photographers as “monster lighting.” The photo above is an example of it being done intentionally, usually for Halloween or horror movie purposes. In this case, it created some unique band looks!
So this little musical journey actually began about 11 years ago, at a place that no longer exists. I think it was called LA Hangout, the first time I saw a band called Undercover Betty, which also no longer exists. But I’ve kept in touch with all the former members who have gone on to play in various other bands, including drummer Kana Leimbach aka Kanachaka Groove, who also played with a band called Gypsy Star, where I met bassist Stephen Roberts. So when I heard they were both supporting a new enterprise that was coming to the area, I hopped on the old Facebook account and arranged to meet up with them! They joined up with acclaimed blues/rock guitarist Alex Lopez to become the power trio Alex Lopez Xpress, or ALX. Alex himself has written and recorded several Top Ten Billboard Hits, including the blues rocker “Rising Up” in 2021 and in 2022 had one of the top blues/rock albums of the year “Nasty Crime,” which was #1 on the blues/rock radio charts. He has toured the South/East/Midwest regions, and continues touring with one more Tampa stop August 31st at the legendary 40-plus year old Skipper’s Smokehouse, the on to MS, KS, TX, LA, and back to the other side of Florida, Jacksonville, and onward!
Joining them on some of those dates are my new friends from Memphis Lightning! Together they tour as The Lightning Xpress, so when you look on their individual calendars, that’s how you know it’s a combined show – though both are worthy of seeing on their own! Memphis Lightning is a family affair: Starting with bassist/drummer and Grammy nominated international touring and recording artist Darren “Big Red” Thiboutot, it’s only natural that his son, known only by Lightning, would form a band. Lightning was selected as the first youth artist to represent the state of Maine in the International Blues Challenge Youth Show Case. Four years cancer-free, Lightning has lived the blues and has already proven to be among the greats, and compared to some of the biggest names to ever hit the blues, country and rock scene.
Filling out the lineup is Rick “Mr. Mayhem” Curran on keys, and since Big Red can’t play drums and bass live like on their studio recordings, they’ve got Rick “Mr. Rock” Deshaw keeping the beats! (Yeah, I know, Big Red, Lightning, Mr. Mayhem, and Mr. Rock, they like nicknames! It does help when two are named Rick, and I’m taking bets on Lightning’s birth name – whose money is on Darren? Could you imagine the confusion with two Ricks and two Darrens?)
Both bands intermingled on the songs, with both Alex and Lightning playing with both bands, together and separately. Both bands also played an original-heavy mix of songs, with some covers thrown in like Cream‘s “Politician” and a long medley (87!) of pieces of Lightning’s influences, including “Pipeline” and “The Munster’s Theme!” (See, I said I’d get back to you on that!)
Catch one or both of them on tour while you can still afford the tickets, and see them at the more intimate venues!
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When not in custody, I've been involved with music, photography, and writing my entire life. Ever since I was a young boy and played those silver tunes, I've had the beat, but being a drummer didn't suit me so I became a lead singer, which lasted a few years. Settling down, sort of, I translated my knowledge of audio and glib tongue into mobile emcee work, and my training as a photographer and videographer into a living in the wedding, party, bar/bat mitzvah, and entertainment industry. During this time I also managed to bamboozle my way into a master's degree in writing, worked for a couple of magazines (yes, I took photos for a nudist magazine!), have photographed hotels, done commercial work (shot the cover of Tablet and Capsule magazine), published a few articles, hosted some public access shows (a couple times in drag, but that's another story), and generally made a nuisance of myself until I landed here.
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