Brother Cane Returns to Vegas After 25 Years

Brother Cane, a hard rocking act from the early 90s, pulled into Count’s Vamp’d to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their debut record. While a never a huge act (an absolute travesty in this reviewer’s eyes) the band had a succession of radio hits from 93-98, and opened for some of the biggest bands on the planet all over the world. I personally saw them open for Aerosmith in New York back in ’93. I remember how they absolutely tore the stage up. If the boys in Aerosmith hadn’t brought their A-game that night, the young band from Birmingham, Alabama could have been one of the only acts to every blow ‘Smith off the stage. Yes, they were that good. I immediately ran to the record store the next day to buy their debut record.

The night started off with a blistering set from Vegas’ own Count’s 77, featuring “Count” Danny Koker, the twin guitar assault of Stoney Curtis and John Zito, bass master Barry Barnes and drummer extraordinaire Jeff Tortora, ran through songs from their original releases, along with a well placed cover.  Count’s 77 brings arena style rock to the smaller stages, and guitarists Curtis and Zito put on an absolute clinic with their twin lead work. Very KISS, Very Grand Funk Railroad, and a lot of attitude. They are an act never to be missed.

Brother Cane came on the stage next to a prerecorded mix of 60s and 70s standbys- from the Stones to Zeppelin to AC/DC- with intermittent static to symbolize the changing of an old AM radio. Once they hit the stage, the band showed they hadn’t missed a beat. Damon Johnson, who has carved out a good career outside of the band with stints with Thin Lizzy and Lynyrd Skynyrd, set the bass with his big Les Paul/Marshall tone.

Joined by original Bassist Glenn Maxey, guitarist David Anderson and Las Vegas’s own Brent Fitz-on break from touring with Slash’s Band, the band tore through the classics from their three 90s albums. Songs like “I Lie in the Bed I Make,” “That Don’t Satisfy Me” and their #1 hit from their 1995 album Seeds, “And Fools Shine On” still carry huge weight today, and sound perfectly in place on anyone’s rock playlist.

The band debuted a couple of new songs as well, with Johnson telling the crowd. “We aren’t saying we are gonna make a new record, cause it cost like $50,000 to make one and then you get like $48 from streaming”. The songs still have that Southern, hard rock feel to them, with Johnson and Anderson playing off each other without stepping on each other’s tones.

The band played a tight 90 minute set, with no down time, just one great  track after another, while thanking the fans for coming out to thier first Las Vegas show in 25 years. Johnson teased more dates to come, and closed out the set with their first hit- “Got No Shame” from the debut record. For the inevitable encore, the band pulled out some classic Thin Lizzy as a nod to their roots. 

If you missed Brother Cane 30 years ago, I highly recommend rediscovering them today, with their entire catalogue available on streaming sites. Or you could buy their records, you know, like we used to do back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth.

PHOTO CREDIT: All photos by Stephy Muzio for ZRockR Magazine – All Rights Reserved