Bain Mattox
Vinyl, Atlanta
January 31st, 2004
By Angeline Vuong

On January 31, Bain Mattox played Vinyl, and he brought in a fervent and enthusiastic crowd along for the ride. Singer/songwriter Clay Cook opened the show up with an acoustic set. Although Cook seemed to enjoy the set, the crowd was ready to rock, and his slower tunes couldn’t hold their attention. He skillfully belted out songs from his album, Self Serving. In addition, Cook also performed “Neon” and “Man on the Side,” songs he penned with former songwriting partner, John Mayer. Next, Alabama-based band Adelayda hit the stage. The band, who have been touring in support of their CD Room to Breathe, received a much warmer response.

Their brand of straight-ahead melodic rock didn’t stand out from the other Matchbox 20’s and Tonic’s of the world, but it pumped the crowd up for what they had been waiting for all night—Bain Mattox. After winning 2002’s Open Mic Madness, Mattox has been gaining a steady following of diehard fans, which was apparent as he and his band played in front of one of the largest crowds Vinyl had ever seen. The band opened up with “Junkie Blues,” and included a brief cover of Everclear’s “Santa Monica,” which was a pleasant surprise. The audience sang along to his fifteen song set, which included most of the tracks off of his self-titled CD.

Mattox ended the night perfectly with the CD’s opening track, “Slumber Plane.” Kudos to the sound guy at Vinyl for the killer mix, which made the band sound even more incredible.

www.bainmattox.com