Smokey Hormel at Sunny’s

We went down to Sunny’s last night to catch the great Smokey Hormel, playing an outstanding set of country music and western swing. You may not know Smokey’s name but you’ve heard his playing unless you’ve managed to avoid buying albums by people like Tom Waits, Beck and Johnny Cash (and hundreds of others). He was playing with a band including Red Hook’s own Bob Hoffman on pedal steel, and a surprise on drums: Anton Fier, a drummer and producer who was a member of the Golden Palominos along with Richard Thompson and Michael Stipe and other luminaries, and played with everyone from Laurie Anderson to Bill Laswell. I’d never imagined him playing country, but he had a light touch and wonderful timing and a level of intensity that really made the night work.