The first time I heard of Martin Sexton, it was in college circa 1998. A member of my vocal group had arranged an acappella cover of his song “Love Keep Us Together.” It was a beautiful arrangement, and I loved singing the background tenor 2 part every time our music director called it. Continue reading
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
THE ACT: Nathaniel Rateliff | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
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THOUGHTS: If Little Hurricane was my surprise set on Friday, Nathaniel Rateliff was my surprise set on Saturday. Nathaniel is a burly gentleman with a scraggly beard, but his music, for the most part, was blissfully soft and emotional. Playing a set with just his voice and acoustic guitar, for moments, I got lost in his music, and I stopped taking pictures and/or recorded Instagram clips. His music reminded me of Iron and Wine, and it truly seemed to be coming from an intensely emotional place. As I was watching his performance from the eye of my zoom lens, I could see him envelop himself in his music, his eyes seemingly welling up with emotions. It was a personal, powerful set and I could only watch his performance with respect as he lay his soul out for the world (at least at Way Over yonder) to see.
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To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
THE ACT: Heartless Bastards | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
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THOUGHTS: I was really looking forward to seeing/hearing Heartless Bastards live, but sound problems at the start of their set didn’t really give me a chance really appreciate what I know this band is capable of. Granted, I only stayed for the first half of their set (I had to photograph another artist whose set had started) and, as you can tell from the Instagram video clips bellows (that I filmed as I was walking to the other state) their sound issues did get better. But, I think I’ll reserved my opinions … until I can catch them in concert again.
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To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
THE ACT: Joe Pug | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
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THOUGHTS: Joe Pug is a singer-songwriter whose folk music is as tender and moving as it comes. Performing solo, armed with just his acoustic guitar and a harmonica, Joe’s soothing sound, under the bright red spotlight, mellowed the audience into a blissful trance. His performance was emotional, without being overindulgent. Critics have favorably compared him to Bob Dylan, and I can’t disagree. I like Bob Dylan. I also like Joe Pug.
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To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
One of my favorite albums of 2013 was Valerie June’s “Pushin’ Against A Stone”. Produced by Kevin Agunas and Dan Auerbach (the Black Keys), it was album that caught my ear with its seamless mix of roots, blues and folk sung by a voice that seemed to have decades of earnest life lessons behind it.
Valerie June’s voice is unique. It’s a voice that you can’t confuse with another singer’s voice. She is … for lack of a better comparison … what Erykah Badu is to neo-soul/hip hop music. A voice so raw and sincere, singing music so traditional yet new, I found it hard not to fall in love with it upon my first listen, and have been telling my friends since that hers is a voice that will likely stand the test of time.
It was a week after I purchased tickets to see Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings when I found out that Valerie June was added to open the show … and I was ecstatic. At first, it seemed like an unlikely pairing, but upon retrospect, because both artists’ music styles are essentially modern-day approaches to “classic” styles of music, I figured the promoters knew what they were doing assuming that their audiences would be more knowledgeable and appreciative because of the historical slant to the music.
Valerie’s set was short but sweet. Clocking in at just over 30 minutes, it was charming mix of acoustic and band-backed versions of her songs, mostly coming from her latest release. After it was all said and done, I found myself wanting more. Not only that, but I decided then and there that if she would ever perform in a more intimate venue like the Bootleg Theatre, I would be the first person in line.
As an aside, while waiting in line to get into the venue, I noticed a woman with flowing dreadlocks and large sunglasses walk by me. It was Valerie June and I quickly asked the couple behind me to hold my spot as I caught up to her and asked her to autograph the LP I had packed in m bag. I assured her that I wouldn’t draw any more attention, and as we walked around the corner (she was heading to the artist entrance to get ready for her set), I pulled out the LP and professed my adoration of her “Pushin’ Against A Stone”. Her gorgeous smile made my day.
I also asked about her father, mentioning that my own father had heart surgery several weeks ago as well. Our conversation was brief, but in those few minutes I felt like I connected with her on a human level, which only made me appreciate her performance that much more that evening.
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