Hoots & Hellmouth

Fri., Nov. 19, 8 p.m., $19-$26, with Birdie Busch, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400, worldcafelive.com.

by John Vettese

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Published: Nov 17, 2010

[ roots/rock/folk ]

Doug Seymour

Touring is a cruel mistress. The drives are exhausting, the van is an uncomfortable bed and the food sucks. Since Hoots & Hellmouth always seem to be on tour, you can't exactly fault Andrew Gray for needing to step away. Late last summer, just before journeying full circle with a spellbinding set at Philadelphia Folk Fest's camp stage, the singer-guitarist known as Hellmouth announced the end of his five-year tenure with the bootstomp folk act in a humble blog post, saying it was time to return to his previous career: teaching high school English in West Philadelphia. While it's hard to imagine the band without Gray's gladiatorial stamina, the show goes on — check out Critical Mass for our chat with Sean Hoots about the band's future. As long as it includes tunes as intense as the new "Why Would You Not Want to Go There," which slayed at Folk Fest, we're along for the ride. But tomorrow night's about Gray, equal parts intense screamer and shy troubadour, who takes the stage with Hoots & Hellmouth one last time at World Café Live. Let's hear some "Dishpan Hands" and say so long for now.

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