Tonight's Top Stop: The Yayhoos

THE YAYHOOS are in town, which is cause enough for rejoicing among fans of deceptively sloppy, wide-shouldered roadhouse rock. A bunch of dudes from other bands you forgot you liked — Dan Baird (of the Georgia Satellites), Eric Ambel (founder of the Del Lords, guitarist for Steve Earle), Keith Christopher (producer for Kenny Wayne Sheperd and Shaver) and Terry Anderson (of the Olympic Ass Kickin' Team) — play together as one band in a sort of shambling side project that comes together for awhile and them goes away. The Yayhoos pay tribute to the mad roots-rock genius of Neil Young at a tribute at Strathmore Music Hall tonight. Express talked with Ambel about being in a supergroup.

» EXPRESS: How did you come to be part of the Neil Young tribute?
» AMBEL: I produced a Nils Lofgren record called "Crooked Line," and I participated in the Strathmore Nils Lofgren show a couple of years ago. Ronnie Newmeyer, who plays with Nils, he's seen my band and he knows that I'm a big Neil Young fan. On top of that, on that Nils album, "Crooked Line," Nils and I went to Neil Young's ranch, and he played and sang on a few tracks of the record.

» EXPRESS: So do you hate when the Yayhoos are called a supergroup?
» AMBEL: You know, "hate" is a strong word. But no, it doesn't bother me that much. The Yayhoos is a very special thing we do; we don't do it that often, so when we get together, we get to play. And that really makes it special. So go ahead and call us a supergroup.

» EXPRESS: Well, it is pretty super; you have a lot of vets in the band.
» AMBEL: We've got a lot of experience that we put together.

» EXPRESS: Do egos clash?
» AMBEL: Not really. It's a funny thing, because for us it's all of our favorite second band. We all have our own bands, and we get to be the boss when we're in our own bands, but we get to be a collective with the Yayhoos. It's never really a job; it's more like a blast.

» The Music Center at Strathmore, Gudelsky Concert Pavilion, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, Bethesda; Wednesday, 7 p.m., free; 301-581-5100. (Grosvenor-Strathmore)
» Iota Club & Cafe, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; with Los Diablos, Thursday, 9 p.m., $10; 703-522-8340. (Clarendon)

» FOR MORE TOP STOPS, including Andrew Bujalksi's "Mutual Appreciation" at the Avalon, click here.

Photo courtesy of Eric Ambel.