The Southern rocker returned to Tampa Bay for a night of old favorites, new material, and enthusiastic singalongs
Rock and roll has no shortage of guitar heroes. Piano heroes are a little harder to come by.
J. Roddy Walston has spent much of his career trying to change that, pounding the keys through a rowdy combination of Southern rock, blues, and punk energy that sounds something like Dr. John joining the Ramones.
After years fronting J. Roddy Walston & The Business, the long-haired rocker returned to St. Petersburg Friday night with his latest outfit, the Automatic Band.
Walston is no stranger to Tampa Bay stages, having appeared at Gasparilla Music Festival, Crowbar, and the Orpheum over the years. But Friday's packed show at Bayboro Brewing marked his first local appearance since 2019.
Local musician Jordan Esker opened the evening with a set of emo-tinged indie rock before shifting gears for his final number.
"This one was definitely inspired by J. Roddy. Back in the day," Esker admitted. "But don't expect it to be as good."
The song's fuzzy guitar riffs and heavy, bluesy rhythm offered a fitting introduction to the man who inspired it.
Walston arrived in black jeans and a denim jacket, his long hair hanging loose as he settled behind the piano for "Don’t Break the Needle."
"Marigold" followed with soaring backing harmonies before "Same Days" brought Walston to his feet, rocking out away from the keys.
He greeted the audience like old friends, joking that it had only been "four or five or seven years" since they'd last seen each other.
The crowd spanned generations, but it was the thirty-somethings who seemed to know every word, singing along and shouting requests throughout the night.
Four songs in, Walston turned to new material with "Hot Banana," a song inspired by his fascination with New Orleans, the Florida Keys, and California's Madonna Inn. Somewhere along the way, he'd imagined combining all three into a single sleazy paradise.
But bringing that paradise into existence apparently required help from the audience.
"Are you guys ready to make all my dreams come true tonight?" he asked, instructing everyone to squeal before shouting "Hot Banana."
The crowd happily obliged as Walston bounced on his stool, hammering away at the keys.
The evening continued through songs like "Caroline," "Shake It," and "Brave Man's Death," with Walston alternating between piano-pounding rockers and moments of theatrical storytelling.
Eventually, the band departed, leaving Walston alone at his piano.
"You guys cool if I do a couple tender tunes?" he asked.
The stripped-down stretch offered a different side of the frontman, trading the band's raucous energy for more intimate piano performances, including "The Wanting” and “Bad Habits”.
Before "Sally Bangs," Walston recalled his grandmother singing a particularly suggestive tune that she claimed his great-grandfather had written. Inspired by what he remembered as a young boy, Walston eventually finished the song himself.
"Then the internet was invented, and I found out that he did not write that song, and that is like a whole ass other song that is not the one that I wrote, but I like this one better."
With the band back onstage, Walston returned to full-throttle rock and roll with “Take It As It Comes”. During "Heavy Bells", he dragged his guitar strings against his microphone stand, using the metal like an improvised slide. An encore of "Sweat Shock" then closed the night.
Whether leading a full band or entertaining the room alone, Walston still seems most comfortable behind a piano, even when he's doing everything he can to beat the hell out of it.
