Let’s raise a glass to evolution. Now with two live albums under their belts — the CD/DVD set Live at Antone’s follows the Band of Heathens’ 2006 debut, Live at Momo’s — fans know this rising roots-rock quintet thrives as a free-range outfit. But as shown on their very first studio album, their magic holds up under more controlled circumstances, too.
Intimately shot at an already cozy venue, the keeper half of the live Antone’s is the DVD, a vivid onstage declaration of fire and fury. Watch it once, and you’ll understand why country-blues shaman Ray Wylie Hubbard probably jumped at the chance to produce the Austin band’s maiden studio voyage, simply titled The Band of Heathens. While take-flight anthems like “Don’t Call on Me” and “Unsleeping Eye” still might work best rumbling roadhouse rafters, Hubbard allows gnarly grooves like “Jackson Station” and “Second Line” to achieve the artistic nobility that this songwriters summit deserves.
