A Heavenly Close to the Americana Fest in Nashville

 By Wil Comstock

MCAU Contributing Writing

Saturday, 9/17

Thirty Tigers Gospel Brunch

 

     There were several options for late Saturday morning. Usually the Gospel Brunch is packed out. This year there was a little elbow room. There were generous portions of chicken and waffles, and DJ Tim Hibbs provided classic gospel sounds as we dove into our meals.  

 

     Host Henry Wagons warmed up the crowd before introducing Stephany Lambring. Her vocals and guitar work were perfect on the haunting Gillian Welch song, “By the Mark.” Bostonian, Alisa Amador, captured our attention with the beautiful “Milonga Accidental.” She weaves many styles of music to come up with her own unique voice, as she demonstrated on “Together.” We were treated to songs from the upcoming album “Built on Bones” by Emily Scott Ross. Emily was joined by friends Lizzy Ross and Alisa Amador. Their voices blended superbly as they smiled and swayed through “Hearing My Prayer” and “Men and Moons.” The album is a modern adaption of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.”

The Shindellas stood out in their matching pink lamé outfits and orchestrated moves. But what really floored me was their intricate harmony and sense of melody on songs like “Fear Has No Place” and “I Will Be Myself Today.” Their website says “The Shindellas are a band formed under the belief that when women come together, powerful change can happen”. Amen!  

     Georgia singer songwriter Brent Cobb took the stage sat down and sang “Just a Closer Walk with Thee.” Along with “Closer Walk,” he performed the stirring “We Shall Rise” and the self-penned “When It’s My Time” from his new gospel album “And Now, Let’s Turn to Page.”  Cobb said he had always wanted to make an album like this and after a near death auto accident, he figured it was time! 

     Last up was the McCrary Sisters minus Deborah who passed in early June from her third stroke. Everyone was clapping hands and singing as the sisters tore into Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground.” Between strokes, Deborah wrote the uplifting “Let it Go.” It took on new meaning as the McCrarys invited us to join them on this rousing number.  Alfreda McCrary asked all of the performers to come back to the stage as the sisters led the way on “I’ll Fly Away.” The audience was on their feet singing praises and lifting their hands. Praising Jesus for the fortification of the chicken and waffles!

 

 

Riverside Revival:

 

     I got excited when I first noticed Watkins Family Hour was going to be at Americana Fest. They were first slotted for the Thirty Tigers Gospel Brunch. But I had confidence that the powers that be would find a place for them to give a full show. Siblings Sara and Sean Watkins of Nickel Creek fame, have hosted a monthly show at LA’s Largo for the last 20 years.  They have invited Willie Watson, Fiona Apple, Lucius, Jackson Browne, Madison Cunnigham, and others to join them onstage. Out of these musical relationships came Watson Family Hour and three recordings. Their opening song of the evening, “The Way I Feel Inside,” is a reworking of the old Zombies song. Pete Harper is part of the Family on this tour providing keys, bass, guitar, backing vocals and lead vocals on “Take Me Down Easy.” One of the lighter moments was the fun reworking of Ernest Tubb’s “Thanks a Lot.”  Thank you Riverside Revival for providing the space for this concert! 

 

     Canadian, Amanda Rheaume, really impressed me. This heartland rocker had some great songs both musically and lyrically. She brought along an ace band with the guitarist and fiddle player supporting her on back ground vocals. She started with “100 Years,” inspired by words attributed to Métis tribal leader Louis Riel, who led the North-West Resistance in 1885: “My people will sleep for a hundred years but when they awake, it will be the artists that give them back their spirit.” Rheaume is a citizen of the Métis Nation and a First Nation activist. 

     Recently, Amanda traveled five hours above Thunder Bay, where she is from, to Lac Seul, Ontario, where her Métisancestors lived. Standing by the lake for the first time, she felt like she had returned home. This is the inspiration for her powerful song “Return to the Water. Introducing her closing song, “The Skin I’m In,” she said, “As humans, we don't have to look, sound, act or be like anyone but our unique and beautiful selves.” Amanda found a new fan in me. What an inspiring show!

Americana Music Comes Alive at the Hutton

By Wil Comstock

MCAU Contributing Writer

 

Thursday Evening, Analog at the Hutton:

 

     About three weeks before Americana Fest, I pull up the lineup and enter the artists I am not familiar with into YouTube. This year I discovered a new favorite, Australian Mark Wilkinson.  

     I was looking forward to his set. Mark came to the stage with just his guitar, and when he began to play “Love High” the small audience listened. Using alternate tunings and intricate fingerpicking, he takes a gentle command of the instrument. His vocals are soothing and draw you in. He has the ability to communicate to your heart like James Taylor or Mary Chapin Carpenter. He wrote “Days on the Rooftop” about a mate he went to high school with that got made fun of a lot. One day the classmate climbed on a roof top and was about to jump…  I love the ballard “Belong,” a song written during the pandemic. It’s about holding on to what you love, in Wilkinson’s case, music. 

     How do you sustain your life with all the venues closed and no money coming in?  The lyrics seem to cry out “what is going on, I know I’m doing what I should be doing, but this isn’t working out for me.”   

     Mark closed his set with the soul-searching “All I Ever Wanted.” I’ll leave you with the chorus: “All I ever wanted was to be someone, More than just a shadow from a fading sun, And you tell me I’m here, And you say I’ll survive, But I’m searching for more, To know that I’m alive.”

     Tim Baker put on a solid set with his strong vocals and thoughtful lyrics as he alternated between guitar and keys. He got my attention when he said he was from St. Johns, Newfoundland. I’m a big fan of Alan Doyle who hails from that town. Baker said he felt a little naked on stage without his band who were not able to make it. But he did just fine on his own in this intimate setting. I especially enjoyed “All Hands” and “Songbird,” which he san at the investiture of Mary Simon as Governor General of Canada.

     It's been a while since I’ve seen Mindy Smith. I had forgotten how down to earth she is. I also enjoy her wry sense of humor. Smith first came on the scene with a cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” in 2003. She has five albums out, the latest titled simply “Mindy Smith.” She had the audience’s full attention as she performed “One Moment More,” a song about her mom who passed when Mindy was 19. “Quiet Town” is a personal favorite, a composition about Nashville before the skyscrapers came. This girl from Long Island, New York, has a pure blue grass voice that melts your heart. This is brought to the forefront on “Come to Jesus,” a song of comfort for the weary.

     Pete Mueller and the Kindred Souls are a great bar band. They are upbeat, fun, entertaining, and great musicians.  Besides Pete’s original numbers, they excel on covers. “Won’t Back Down” (Tom Petty) and “Working My Way Back to You Babe” (The Four Seasons) brought a smile to many faces. The highpoint for me was when the band left the stage and Pete soloed on a new song, “I Haven’t Learned How to Turn Away.”

     The venue began to fill up when Lilli Lewis took the stage with her bass player and drummer. Her style is part jazz, gospel and soul. I love it!  Lilli taught us a riff and invited us to sing with her on “When the Rain Comes In.” What an encouraging song! Her rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock” must be heard! Lewis’s mission is to bring people together and spread some love. She surely accomplished this tonight!