I had a very specific purpose in moving
the Locomotive operations to Athens, Ga.
Much different from the first time I moved here, chasing a woman at 19.
One of the main reasons I moved back was to submerse myself and my writing into
some roots rock n roll. Well let me tell
you folks, Athens knew I was coming and I got exactly what I asked for and so
much more. The first night in Athens went something like
this; 4 great bands, 2 amazing female vocalists, and a whole lot of fun.
The night started with an amazing
performance from Austin Darnell of the Darnell Boys. Now, I am not much of a blues guy. Some of it is ok, but for the most part it is
not my thing and I have no idea why.
Yesterday afternoon I spent some time listening to a local Blues radio
show and was bored after a short while.
Austin Darnell very well, single handedly, completely changed my dislike
for the Blues. With his brand new custom
made acoustic guitar with lightening bolds cut into it, Austin belted out some
tunes that knocked his Braves ball cap sideways. I can imagine it is quite
difficult to stand up on stage and project a sound armed only with an acoustic guitar. And project Austin did. His sound is strong and powerful, southern
grown and cultivated. Darnell wrapped up
his set with a vocals only song and the crowd keeping time that blew me
away. I will be keeping an eye on this
guy and his band the Darnell Boys for a while.
There is no doubt in my mind they will be around for quite a while.
Next up was Darkwater Rising from
Robeson County, North Carolina. Now, I
have no idea where Robeson County is, but according to their Facebook page it
is right in the middle of the swamp. What
I was expecting with a name like Darkwater Rising, was something dark and haunting. Well, I got the haunting just not the
dark. The entire band a full on southern
draw, and the lead singer, Charly Lowry, uses it to her advantage. The stage at the World Famous is small so
Darkwater skipped the drum kit and opted for hand drum with a deep, rich sound,
and I loved it. There songs were full of
soul, deep in subject matter, but light in sound. With four out of the five members all singing
at some point, these guys put out a sweet yet powerful sound that reminds me of
happy, sunny days, where everything goes my way. It was great to hear that they had just
finished a showcase in NYC for some record label guys. They definitely deserve a shot to play with
the big boys. Can’t wait to see how it
goes and we will be supporting this band any way we can.
The Burning Angels rounded out the
night at the World Famous. Mark
Cunningham knows exactly what I like to listen to and proceeded to play songs
about the south, pills, whiskey, the devil, women, and even shitty little
cities in Alabama. The quartet consists of two guitars, one acoustic, one electric
and acoustic bass, and a mandolin, dobro playing, pedal steel player. This is all a perfect match for Mark’s
scratchy voice. Andrew, the mandolin,
dobro playing, pedal steel player, kept my ears attention for most of their
set. The sound that resonates from the
dobro and pedal steel are some of my favorites, and Andrew does a great job of
incorporating them into the Burning Angels songs, seemingly with plenty of
ease. After speaking with these guys on
a couple of occasions recently, I know they are working hard on a new
album. It will be fantastic to hear the
finished project.
After all the music ended at the
World Famous, we headed over to the Green Room on the suggestion of Radiolucent’s
manager to check out Thomas Wynn and the Believers. My friend and I decided that we were going to
listen outside for a minute to see if we liked the music enough to pay to get
in since it was already close to 1 AM.
From the Globe to the door of the Green Room which is only about twenty
to thirty feet, we heard enough and gladly paid the 10 bucks to get in. The lesson to be learned here is when management
for another band who you love recommends a band, listen and go. I don’t know what rock I have been living
under to not know about Thomas Wynn and the Believers, but I am sure glad I
climbed out and got on board. This band
is freaking amazing. First there is the
obvious uniqueness of having a tattooed, smoking hot woman on vocals, and an
Alice Cooper/Ronnie James Dio look alike on the harmonica, which puts them into
a whole different playing field. But the
badassness does not stop there. Thomas
has this metal, bluesy, gospel; I don’t know what the fuck to call it thing
going on that is so real. With Dave Wagner
on Bass guitar and Ryan Miranda on drums, Chris Bell on harmonica, and Olivia
Wynn on vocals, Thomas has a tight night crew and it is a perfect mix. From love songs full of pain and anger to
J.J. Cale, and a metal sound that I just don’t want to shake has me convinced
this is my new favorite band. Good enough
to consider travelling to see without a doubt. If you are a roots rock guy like
me then the idea of travelling to see Thomas Wynn and the Believers is a surely
something to consider. I will not be
missing these guys ever again when they are in town and Locomotive will be
keeping up with them as much as possible.
The best part about my first night
living in Athens, Ga after twenty years was getting to meet all of these musicians. They were all so humble and gracious without
any of that rock star attitude. My hat goes off to those musicians who take
pleasure in talking to the folks that just watched them play. There are not many places in the rock n roll
world where you can spend an entire night seeing music and mingling with
amazing musicians like it was everyday’s business. Thanks for the huge welcome
home Athens, Ga.
Go See Live Music
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