Category: Shows Around Town

An eclectic night of bluegrass-inspired music at the Fillmore Charlotte.

February 20th, 2020. A day that brought not only eccentric weather but an eclectic band to Charlotte. Outside the roads around the Queen City were icy, the air frigid, and the temperature freezing. However, inside the Fillmore the crowd was warm and receptive to any band that happened to be on stage. Starting off the show was a duo called Handmade Moments.

Handmade Moments.

Comprised of Anna Moss & Joel Ludford, this duo brought a great opening set to the Fillmore. Through brass and wood, these two brought a unique sound to the opening part of the show, and I highly recommend checking them out! They are out supporting Railroad Earth on this tour on select dates through the rest of the tour.

Railroad Earth

Cohesiveness.

A plethora of instruments lined the stage. Such instruments included the usual suspects like acoustic and bass guitars. Others like pedal steel made a welcome appearance in the eyes of the attendees. Starting with a black stage, Railroad Earth was received fondly as the drummer(Carey Harmon) started the set. Slowly, building in layers, the other instruments came in building an overall sound that could only be described as cohesive.

Cohesiveness was the main underlining factor in this set. 19 years of performing will do that to a group. One thing that stuck out was how during the set, no one ever got in each other’s way. Carey Harmon’s drum fills never competed with Andrew Altman’s stand up bass lines. Tim Carbone’s violin never interfered with John Skehan’s mandolin picking. The crowd picked up on that, noting by how attentive the crowd was during the entirety of the set.

A time and a place.

Although cohesiveness was the main theme of the set, a big part of how I perceived a Railroad Earth live set was through the individual skills of every member in the band. There was a time and a place for each member to take a solo, while still contributing to the overall sound of the song.

As examples, John Skehan & Tim Carbone had many moments throughout the show where the individuality of each of their respective instruments was put on display. Even frontman Todd Sheaffer had many tasteful solos.

A great night filled with incredible music, Railroad Earth had such a fantastic set which you can check out here:

Set 1:
Chasin’ A Rainbow
Bread & Water
Bird in a House
The Hunting Song
For Love
Crossing the Gap
The Forecast
Runnin’ Wild

Set 2:
Storms
Just So You Know
420
Lovin’ You
Old Man and the Land
Warhead Boogie
Captain Nowhere
Jupiter and the 119
Cuckoo’s Medley

Be sure to check out Railroad Earth on tour through March! Dates below!

Feb. 22 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel

Feb. 23 – Charleston, WV – Mountain Stage

Feb. 25 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom

Feb. 26 – Knoxville, TN – Mill And Mine

Feb. 27 – Birmingham, AL – Iron City

Feb. 28 – Pensacola, FL – Vinyl Music Hall

Feb. 29 – Pelham, TN – The Caverns

Mar. 3 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue 

Mar. 4 – Grand Rapids, MI – The Intersection

Mar. 5 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee

Mar. 6 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue

Mar. 7 – Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre

Mar. 20 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club

Mar. 21 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club

Mar. 25 – Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic Lounge

Mar. 26 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom

Mar. 27 – Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads Saloon

Mar. 28 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant 

Bluegrass never sounded so good in the Carolinas.

Around The Country will be providing coverage for Railroad Earth as they stop into Charlotte February 20th on their 4th show out of 23 on the tour. With stops including one of our favorite venues ‘The Caverns’ that has already sold out, Railroad Earth has much to look forward to during this tour!

Forming in 2001, the band was a culmination of the love for acoustic instruments. 9 albums later with the lastest entitled All For The Song releasing later this year, we have much to look forward to with this group!

You can find tickets here & the complete tour schedule below. Hope to see you all there!

Feb. 7 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club

Feb. 8 – Port Chester, NY – The Capitol Theatre

Feb. 19 – Salem, VA – Salem Civic Center

Feb. 20 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore

Feb. 21 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre

Feb. 22 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel

Feb. 23 – Charleston, WV – Mountain Stage

Feb. 25 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom

Feb. 26 – Knoxville, TN – Mill And Mine

Feb. 27 – Birmingham, AL – Iron City

Feb. 28 – Pensacola, FL – Vinyl Music Hall

Feb. 29 – Pelham, TN – The Caverns

Mar. 3 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue 

Mar. 4 – Grand Rapids, MI – The Intersection

Mar. 5 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee

Mar. 6 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue

Mar. 7 – Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre

Mar. 20 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club

Mar. 21 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club

Mar. 25 – Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic Lounge

Mar. 26 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom

Mar. 27 – Kansas City, MO – Knuckleheads Saloon

Mar. 28 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant 

Kelsey Waldon may have small-town roots..but her songs know no bounds.

Stopping in Charlotte on a cold November night, Kelsey Waldon transformed the Evening Muse into a proper country music venue. Supporting her latest album White Noise/White Lines, Kelsey put on a great show.

Born and raised in the rural community of Monkey’s Eyebrow Kentucky, Kelsey is about as real as it gets. In a state that has produced some of the best emerging country artists, Kelsey adds to that list with songs that speak of life experiences and different points of view.

Throughout her set, Kelsey would sometimes give a tiny snippet of the song’s origin, crediting her grandma for one of them. Things like this paint a portrait of a person who has lived. A person that isn’t filling a song quota, or searching for current buzzwords. A true country artist.

Kelsey also brought a killer band with her. One of the best sounding rhythm sections belongs to Nate Felty & Alec Newnam. This only elevated Kelsey’s songs.

The crowd at the Evening Muse was attentive the whole night, with silence coming during the acoustic part of Kelsey’s set. It was a truly authentic country night at the Evening Muse, and I highly recommend going out and supporting this great artist.

Kelsey is on tour through the new year, with dates surely being added in the future. Thanks to Kelsey for having ATC out to the show!

Kentucky brings out the best country musicians..Kyle Daniel is one of em’

Kyle Daniel was a newcomer on my country radar.. A product of my Spotify discover weekly. I owe the streaming service a lot over the past few years, but after discovering Kyle, I may be indebted forever.

Kentucky & country music are hot right now. The state is scattered with the birthplaces of many current country greats. Stapleton’s from Lexington, Sturgill’s from Jackson, and Kyle? Well he hails from Bowling Green. You can hear his emotion screaming through his Dr. Z amp.

After listening to his latest EP “What’s There To Say?” I could see that Kyle’s been through the ringer. “Born to Lose” invokes a story of a man who’s given up on not only those around him, but himself as well. The title track “What’s There To Say” shows a relationship in turmoil and the side effects that it brings. Reading into the life that Kyle lived in Bowling Green, it wasn’t without struggle. Stories of losing close friends to opioid addictions brought the track “Born to Lose’ to the world. This songwriting showed that Kyle is bringing a bigger issue to light. This is more than a song…more that an EP.

Artists that forge their own path in songwriting have a lot to prove. Listening to “What’s There To Say” brought me back to the first time I ever listened to “High Top Mountain” by fellow Kentuckian Sturgill Simpson. I feel these two albums share similarities, in that they talk about the hard stuff. The hard shit in life that involves real emotion and real struggle. That takes a lot of guts to do. This isn’t your typical three minute and thirty second song about (insert generic country theme here)

This music is about real life. What Kyle and other amazing artists from Kentucky do so well is they write from the heart. They don’t dance around the subject, they hit you straight in the face with it. They bring up topics that may not be Music Row friendly. The beautiful thing is that people care, and people relate.

Kyle’s live show was equally impressive. With an incredible band behind him, this was one of the tightest acts i’ve seen in a very long time. Mostly originals with a few covers in between, I really hope Kyle comes back to Charlotte soon. Whether it’s in life or on stage, Kyle Daniel proved to me that the power of a song is very much alive in country music.

Kyle fits right up there with other Kentucky greats who’ve come along to shape the future of country music.

The renaissance man residing in Nashville brings his stories to Charlotte.

Tony Lucca is indeed a man of many disciplines. From his start in acting, to finding success in songwriting, with songs being placed in major tv shows including Friday Night Lights, he has had a unique career as an entertainer so far.

Living in Los Angeles for a brief time(1995-1997) he acted full time until deciding to pursue music in 1997.

This was my first time seeing Tony live, so I was unaware of the energy he brings to his live shows, and it truly was infectious. The intimate setting of The Evening Muse brought Tony’s energy that much closer to the audience, providing a truly entertaining show. Tony has a way of inviting you into his songs, making you feel like you’ve heard them a thousand times. People can tell that the songs he writes mean something. They weigh on you and make you really believe true music. Different songs tell different times in his life such as “Empty Handed Blues”, born out of a long trip from Charlotte to Jacksonville. Tony’s songs are place marks in his life, a trait that many legendary songwriters have.

Apart from writing songs, Tony has ventured into organizing a music festival from scratch starting TFDI Fest(Totally Fuckin’ Doing It) with Jay Nash. “Hand selecting” different artists to perform, this festival will run in the fall(September 6th & 7th)

Other big news coming out of the workings of Tony include a new album called “Ain’t No Storm” releasing on March 29th. Super exciting news for sure!

Writing hit songs, releasing a new album, and starting a music festival sounds like a pipe dream for most musicians, but for Tony Lucca, he’s Totally Fuckin’ Doing It.

It’s time to focus on one of Nashville’s celebrated rock n’ roll bands.

Future Thieves rolled into Charlotte, fresh off of releasing a new single entitled “Focus”. Weeks after selling out the Basement East in Nashville, these guys carried that same energy to Charlotte.

If there’s one thing to be said about these guys, is that they get the concept of straight forward, no frills rock and roll. I can remember about half way through the set, seeing bass player Nick Goss’ bass amp visibly rocking from side to side. That’s the energy of this band. That’s what they give you any night of the week.

Old favorites such as “Rosie” and “Horizon Line” were main staples in the set, but newer songs such as “Machines” and the newest of the bunch “Focus” really showed the creativity and versatility of the Future Thieves sound. These guys have found a really great sound that can appeal to not only rock n’ roll purists, but to fans of other pop centered genres.

Their last time in Charlotte was on October 5th, when they did a set for Sofar Sounds(a really cool music concept that you should check out). When talking about Sofar Sounds during the set, lead singer Elliot Collet was quick to praise the stripped down nature of the performance and the connection that it brings to the listener. That’s really the root of the success these guys have had so far. They love the connection between band and listener. They want to give you the best show possible, all the time, every time…and they always overdeliver.

Future Thieves has a couple remaining dates on their current tour schedule. Go support a band that thrives on real, pure music. I promise you’ll be a future fan.

Seeing is Believing at The Visulite

Rayland Baxter isn’t black & white. Rayland Baxter isn’t one dimensional. Rayland Baxter certainly isn’t ordinary. Rayland is his own kind, a one-off, a truly magical artist that you need to see to believe.

The Nashville native(which makes him even more special) made his triumphant return to the Queen City, since his last appearance in Charlotte at The Evening Muse.

Most of the world including myself, were introduced to Rayland’s unique characteristics though one of his more popular songs “Yellow Eyes”. I still remember watching through the screen as a man in a Goodyear hat played all the right notes and hit all the right emotions.

After playing a couple of tried and true originals, Rayland’s tribute to another unique artist was one of the highlights of the night. His cover of “Come Back to Earth” by the late Mac Miller drew the crowd close. I took it as not only as as a tribute, but a gesture of respect. Later in the night, a cover by Neil Young was wildly accepted.

I believe very root of Baxters rise to prominence has to do with his carefree nature. He isn’t flashy or egotistic. He doesn’t try too hard to be “different”. He’s there for the music and the people. While other artists erect grandiose stage plots, Rayland comes out on stage amidst a tie dye backdrop, plugs in his Gibson semi hollow-body guitar, and lets the music shine.

We all came out on a Thursday night, not only to see a performance, but to believe in the magic of Baxter.