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!
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