AmericanaFest: Artists Bring ‘Hallelujah and Amen’ at Annual Gospel Brunch

By Wil Comstock

MCAU Contributing Writer

Gospel Brunch at City Winery

Sept. 13 (Saturday)

I always enjoy the Gospel Brunch; delicious chicken and waffles and a chance to see some new talent and a few old favorites.

Surprise guests, The McCrary Sisters, opened the brunch with a stirring rendition of “Amazing Grace.”  It was set to the melody of “House of the Rising Sun.”  Each sister took a verse, with Ann reaching deep down inside and crying out to God like I have never heard her before.  Amen!

Artists of note were:

 Uwade who is from West Africana and living in Charleston.  Her sweet vocals and persona endeared her to the audience.

Courtney Marie Andrews who sounded a lot like an early Joni Mitchell with her lilting vocals and folk fingerpicking. 

Jay Buchanan, who along with his band, put on quite a three-song show.  His soaring vocals and magnetic stage presence made a fan out of everyone.

Tigers co-owner David Macias told us there would be a set change before the last guest came out. Sarah Potenza was the only person on the program who had not performed, so I rightly assumed it would be her. She usually has just her husband on guitar as backup.  But out came the drums, bass, electric guitar and a baby grand, along with the talented Sista Strings on cello and violin.  As the strings began, Sarah made her grand entrance in a sequined gown and sumptuously uttered the first line to “Nessun Dorma” from Puccini’s “Turandot.” (For those of you who are old enough, think of Areatha Franklin filling in for Pavarotti on the Grammy’s in 1998.)  A stunning performance!  She ended with a gospel choir backing her up on “Hallelujah Amen.”  I’ve followed Sarah for 12 years and have been waiting for this moment; to have a company recognize her talent and give her the support she needs.  Hallelujah and Amen.

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AmericanaFest: Northern Lights Songwriters Take the Stage with the Help of Brandi Carlile

By Wil Comstock, MCAU Contributing Writer

Wednesday (Sept. 10), Embassy Suites Hotel:

Racing downtown after a meeting, I was sure I would be at the end of a long line waiting to get into the show. You can imagine my amazement when there were only about 20 people ahead of me. 

Surveying those in line, I was surprised to find I was standing next to songwriter extraordinaire, Lisa Aschmann.  Lisa quite literally wrote the book on songwriting, and Hal Leonard published it! It was nice to catch up and fellowship with my friend as we waited for the performers to emerge.

Have you ever been to the Bluebird and seen an exceptional “in the round” or “in the row”?  This is that show on steroids with a whole lot of heart!  Brandi Carlile has a way of building community; she introduces musicians to one another, they become friends, they write together, and they play on each other’s albums.  As Brandi said, “This is what it’s all about, right here on this stage, this is why I do what I do.”

What a joy to watch them cheering each other on. Such was the case when Fancy Hagood performed his new song, “I’m Just a Fool for Your Love.” Brandi watched with her mouth open like a proud older sister.  Killer song. Fancy also played “Dead Set on You” and “Lonely as I Do.” This guy has really grown as a writer and singer over the last few years.

What can I say about Chauntee and Monique Ross (aka SistaStrings)? Adjectives fail me. They are virtuoso instrumentalists, singers, and songwriters. They can play classical, jazz, soul and rock. The result of years of practice and nurturing parents. They had a standing ovation on their first song, “One or a Thousand Times.”  

The beautiful “How Do You Sleep at Night” written with Brandi Clark and Sean McConnell brought me to tears. Crowd favorite “Goodbye” brought the house down again with its funky jazz rhythms and searing vocals. When is their long-awaited album finally going to come out?

Veteran Sean McConnell has written with everyone on the stage. You can tell he’s grappled with the hard questions and wrestled with his demons as you listen to his lyrics. He immediately touches a familiar nerve. He performed two songs from his new album “Skin,” the haunting “Southside of Forever” and “Take it Easy Darlin’” on which SistaStrings add violin, cello and vocals. Sean uses some alternate tunings to get a unique and fresh sound. McConnell had everyone signing on his soulful anthem, “Shine Your Light on Me.” I can’t wait to purchase his new album!

    There were several surprise guests. Brandi Clark came out and introduced a new song she wrote (the folklike “Land of the Free”) after watching the Dylan biopick, “A Complete Unknown.”

 

Monique Ross introduced her daughter, Daelynn, who accompanied herself on guitar to a lovely song that she wrote. This family has talent!

The last surprise guest was the Carlile Family Band with Brandi’s brother, Jay, and his children, JayJ and Caroline. Caroline fronted the group, playing guitar as they harmonized to a number she wrote. These guys can sing; guess it runs in the family!

Carlile gave us a preview of her upcoming album, “Returning to Myself,” with the honest and vulnerable “Turning.” I can’t wait to hear the rest of the album, which will be released on October 24. Everyone on stage joined in on “Letter to my Past” featuring SistaStrings, who added the icing on the cake with their instruments and voices.  

Brandi used to babysit her niece, Caroline (Carlile Family Band), before she became popular. It was hard for her once she started regularly touring; she missed her niece. One birthday, Brandi received a homemade card from 5-year-old Caroline. On the cover she drew an amp and a guitar, and when you opened it, a recording played the child’s voice saying,“I love you, Brandi.” She still has the card!  This was the inspiration for “Caroline, I’m on My Way Back Home to You.” So sweet!  

Nashville’s Theater Bug, a kids theater troop, had the chance to sing for Carlile this week. They learned and sang Carlile’s song, “Wherever is Your Heart.” This was the song that closed the show, with everyone on the stage and in the theater harmonizing as they looked at each other around the room. It can’t get any better than this!  

Footnote: Brandi and Fancy Hagood just performed a benefit concert for Theater Bug at Riverside Revival. The more they give, the more they seem to receive. I sure loved this afternoon’s event.

 

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Brandi Carlile and Tracy Gershon Rock City Winery

 Brandi Carlile and Tracy Gershon present Northern Lights Music

 City Winery, Thursday at 1p.m. (UPDATED)

     I arrived at City Winery 45 minutes early only to find the line extended to the back chain link fence behind the building. I doubted I would get in and pulled up the Americanafest App to see what other shows were at this time. The line started to move quickly and before I knew it, I was inside. I was alone, so I thought I might have a chance at finding a seat near the front. I did. Second seat in, front and center!

     Highlights of the two and a half hour show included Sean McConnell’s “Leave the Light On.”  This gospel drenched number was all the better for having Sista Strings and Brandi join on background vocals. The incredible Sista Strings, besides blowing us away with a classical, jazz, funk instrumental, sang a new song “The Reckoning.” This prayer-like number was written with McConnell.

     Brandi Carlile and the twins (Phil and Tim Hanseroth) started off acapella on “Right On Time,” the title cut on her latest album. Their harmonies make the hair on the back of my neck stand up! She also did an older song from 2007, the comforting, “Downpour.” 

     Newcomer Kish,who is 17 years old, performed “Michelle,” a ballad about a friend who keeps settling for the wrong kind of guy. She explained while driving after she got her driver’s license, she had a moment and had to pull over. She realized she was never going to be a young kid again. This prompted her to write the beautiful “Long Drive”.   

     Brandy Clark was up next. Carlile jokingly said that when she was producing Clark’s album, all of her songs were coming in at 3 ½ minutes. Carlile couldn’t understand how she did that. Clark said when she first came to town, it was drummed in her head that a song over 4 minutes would not get played on the radio. Carlile wasn’t too excited about Brandy’s “Tell Her You Don’t Love Her” until Kish, who was visiting the studio, said she loved the song. That made Carlile think she finally got it. “Tell her you don’t love her, because I do!”  Clark also sang the beautiful “Buried.”

     Last year’s special guest was Tanya Tucker. Carlile said she couldn’t be here this year because she was recovering from neck surgery, and asked us to pray for Tanya. This year’s special guests included Kate York, who sang the rebel rousing “Drive it Till the Wheels Fall Off” and Katie Pruitt, whose ballad “Blood Related” talked about choosing to love your family though the disagreements, something we all can relate to.  

     For the finale, Carlile and all of the songwriters joined in on Queen’s classic “Fat Bottom Girls.”  Way too much fun for one afternoon!