James Intveld
Two-stepping in Northern Virginia is an increasingly rare thing these days. Indie-rockers have come to dominate what was once a reliable bastion of alt-country mirth-makers. But patrons of Iota, the closest thing to a roadhouse for hundreds of miles (it’s five minutes to the White House if you miss the lights), couldn’t help but hit the floor when James Intveld made a rare east coast appearance on a bitterly cold midweek night.
Despite being a known quantity in Los Angeles, Austin and Nashville, Intveld has never broken through to the mainstream, and it’s a wonder why. Backed by a three-piece band, the deceptively aged singer-songwriter (my guess was late 30s but research indicates closer to 50) knocked out two full sets of sweet old-time country, Texas cross-genre sounds, and flat-out rock. He was outfitted in a subtly spangly western jacket and a snap-button shirt, and several of those top snaps would unsnap by the end of the first set, which caused one female in the audience to openly hope for more.
Yes, he’s cute, with cutting dimples, a devilish pointed goatee and a high-and-tight slicked back on his head but more to the point, the man can sing a song. There were echoes of Roy Orbison in “You Say Goodnight, I’ll Say Goodbye”, a Tex-Mex flavored break-up ballad. “Let’s Get Started”, a co-write with Nashville veteran Kostas, and “Somewhere Down The Road” both recalled rich late-’50s country in the style of Don Gibson (who Intveld also covered, with a terrific version of “Blue, Blue Day”).
A highlight from the first set was “Pretty World”, a country hit for Wynn Stewart that worked great even without the signature pedal steel. The band was just as strong late into the night when they got to “Stringin’ Me On”, with its inescapably insidious guitar hook. Friends and family turned out to see guitarist Storm Rhode IV, formerly of nearby Vienna, Virginia, and he made the clan proud with his blistering, fleet-fingered solos.