John Wesley Harding will be slingin' tunes at Dogfish Head

Photo by Bill Wadman

Why should we be surprised that Dogfish Head Brewings and Eats in Rehoboth will be hosting a quality national act like John Wesley Harding?

Not only is Friday’s (March 29) show the next in a slew of great bands and solo acts – some of them nationally known -  to grace the stage there, but we’re talking about Dogfish Head here.

A whole lotta of suds. Plant at Dogfish.

Freaking Robert Plant just SHOWED UP up at the Dogfish brewery in Milton last summer to sample some of their brews. When the dude who set the template for bazillion frontmen pops in to sip your product, the term “buzzworthy” doesn’t do you justice.

Back to Harding, whose real name is Wesley Stace. The folk-rock singer-songwriter has got 15 albums under his belt, including his latest, "The Sound of His Own Voice," which features a backing band featuring Pete Buck (thumbs up), Rosanne Cash (thumbs up) and members of the Decemberists (thumbs down).

He was tapped by BRUUUUCE to be his opening act, had a song on a movie soundtrack (“I’m Wrong About Everything” on the massively overrated*** 2000 flick “High Fidelity”) and copped the title of a seminal Bob Dylan album (who changed the name slightly from that of the outlaw gun slinger) for his own moniker. Oh, and he has this Cabinet of Wonders variety show thing involving musicians like Steve Earle and writers and artists and the like, and they play stuff like this. Oh, and he writes books that get all kinds of amazing reviews. Pretty bad ass.

The best part with Friday’s 10 p.m. show at Dogfish Head (320 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth), as with all Dogfish shows, is that there’s no cover. Visit the Dogfish site or call 302-226-BREW.

So Cusack's hairline improved since Lloyd Dobler? Naw.

*** “High Fidelity” is a beneficiary of John Cusack being so underrated that he became overrated. Snobby critics scoffed at his ’80s Goofball Trilogy (“Better Off Dead,” “One Crazy Summer” and “Hot Pursuit”) and never realized how those flicks and his breakthrough in “Say Anything” crystallized his cultural status with Gen X, then they missed the first couple of pitches when he started doing more serious stuff (“City Hall”). So they jumped all over “High Fidelity,” sensing it was some kind of "Singles" sequel. If it wasn’t for Jack Black as music geek Barry in Rob Gordon’s record store, this slop would have been straight-to-video. But that’s just me. (I also feel like it’s my duty, as always, to point out Cusack’s awful wig in this movie).