Photo Credit: Andy J. Gordon

On Thursday night, Duane Betts and Johnny Stachela performed a two-hour acoustic set at The Venice West in Los Angeles. The duo welcomed special guests throughout the evening, including drummer Alex Orbison, Orbison’s wife and singer, Erika, and bassists Paul Ill and Damon Webb, with a surprise appearance by former Black Crowes’ guitarist Marc Ford.  

The set included a slew of Betts’ originals- including the new Betts/Stachela composition, “Colors Fade,” slated to debut on Betts’ forthcoming solo album- plus covers from Betts and Orbison’s prodigious ‘90s outfit, Backbone69, and a stretch of familiar classics such as the Grateful Dead’s “Althea” and The Allman Brothers Band’s “Blue Sky” and “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.” 

Betts and Stachela, with bassist Berry D. Oakley, are in the midst of a summer-long Dog Daze acoustic tour.  The Venice West one-off precedes a second Dog Daze leg that includes stops in Atlanta, Nashville, and Macon before another stint in New York.  A third leg of the tour features a September string of Midwest appearances and a run in Colorado.

Visit www.duanebetts.com for the full schedule.