When a Detroit band arrives in Asheville, it’s a big fucking deal. Now, this artsy-touristy mountain burg I call home has a thriving music scene, but there’s no denying the whiff of Motor City exhaust fumes. Such was the case on when the Hentchmen, touring with the Black Keys in support of Form Follows Function, played the Orange Peel venue. The headliners were OK, almost like a two-man Led Zep, but Tim Purrier, Mike Latulippe and John Syzmanski were so rousingly hi-NRG from the get-go you could feel the electric current surge through the room. And between Purrier’s lean-over-the-crowd guitar anti-heroics and Syzmanski’s Farfisa-on-wheels ramalama, no one could say that the entertainment factor didn’t equal the musical pizzazz, too.
Purrier graciously handed one drooling punter the band’s setlist, engraved in bold Sharpie script on the torn-off bottom of a beer carton. It’s reproduced here for your archival pleasure. Hey bands, don’t toss those setlists after you’ve finished up in Asheville — hand ’em to me, and I’ll duly post said artifact in these hallowed pages. Of course, if you get famous, there’s eBay. But don’t sweat that for now.
