Thursday, August 29, 2019

Gig Review - Nashville Sounds In The Round - August 2019



Gasoline & Matches hosted another excellent Songwriters Round – Nashville Sounds In The Round – on Wednesday night.

With a line up gathered from Norwich, Israel, Colorado and Nashville, as well as Birmingham of course – there was not a single tassle or drop of glitter on stage, which could make you question what type of Country performance this would be.  The answer was – a cracking night of music, storytelling and laughter.  The main “culprit” for much of this was Kenny Foster – who we now all know as “Kenton”, his real name being outed by Sally Rea – who started his own performance with a story about  sausages, a gag which was kept going by all on stage. This set the tone for the evening of repeated jokes and light-hearted banter between performers

This banter and quick wit truly reflects the ability of those on stage to express themselves through words, be it in song or story. It isn’t just humour that comes across, it is often raw emotion, and we were privileged to hear a deeply personal song from Steven Marks about his Father which he rarely performs in public.

A songwriters round allows the performers to share the stories behind the songs, and we discover that they can take inspiration from almost anywhere – the quirky tribute to 60s music from duo OandO being a great example.

The round also allows a glimpse of the performers stripped right back to simply guitar and vocals. Sam Coe, perched in the middle of the line up showed us the sheer power and control of her voice when singing her first solo release Hard Times which is available for pre order now, and all the artists sell their CDs and merchandise which gives the audience a chance to meet, chat and get selfies.

Although the round is made up of 4 distinct acts, it almost becomes a jam session, with backing vocals and strumming guitars, plus Steven’s guitar wizardry. A mass sing along for the final round which included those parts of the audience who remember the great Billy Ray Cyrus and the classic Achy Breaky Heart.

Francesca was attending her first Nashville Sounds in The Round which was also watched over by Dolly, Johnny and Willy. All four gave their approval of a great night of music and stories

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