If you asked me a few years ago if I was a fan of country music, I would have given you a pretty confident “no.” Sure, there were exceptions; no one can deny the classics from Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, and there were a couple guilty pleasure hits from Kenny Chesney that had made their way onto my summer playlists. But the overall mainstream, pop-country sound had never appealed to me.
Then a shift happened. Artists like Zach Bryan started bringing country back towards a singer-songwriter, rock-based sound that eliminated the cheesy lyrics and over-produced, honky tonk sound for a more emotional, soulful brand of “country” that I could get behind. With Bryan’s success, more artists writing in this style began to wade up into the mainstream, and I found myself at shows where more people were wearing cowboy hats and leather boots than I was certainly used to.
While my original Saturday night plan had been to hit up the Blues Traveler/Gin Blossoms/Spin Doctors show at the Hollywood Bowl, when an invite came in to catch Sam Barber at the Greek Theatre, I changed my plans. Since hearing some of his earliest singles, I’ve been a fan of Barber’s songwriting, ‘country’ label be damned. And as Barber sings in his song “Music for the Soul: ” “Well, I know this ain’t the bar song you wanna hear, but I make music for the soul.” That’s my kind of music.
I arrived at my seat in time to catch the last couple of songs by trio Wild Horses. I’m sad I missed most of their set, as based on their closing song “Man in the Mirror,” I would have enjoyed their music. The trio had some great harmonizing, and definitely fit closer to the style of alt country music I’m into. Hopefully another opportunity to see them will arise in the future.
Second opener John Vincent III was an artist already on my radar, having covered his track “Bluebird Singing” a few years prior. Though the young artist had some country grit in his general speaking voice, as he would usually address the audience with a guitar pick in his mouth, I would say his style is in the more traditional singer-songwriter class of music, as tracks like “Bluebird Singing” and “City Rain” careened with a mellow vibe over the theater that evening. Certain songs like “Dandelion” and did carouse into the ‘stomp and holler’ territory, though I’d say as a vocalist, Vincent’s sweet spot is more in the chill sector of songwriting than that more rock-leaning sound.
Vincent switched from guitar to the keyboard for a couple tracks, including a beautiful, still-unreleased song called “Burn”. He then returned to guitar for the remainder of the set for a trio of love songs, closing with “That’s Just the Way It is, Babe.” I would say his music style and voice would maybe be a better fit for more intimate venues (like The Troubadour) than a larger amphitheater like this, but it still was an enjoyable listen for a warm summer evening.
The Greek Theatre is a venue that requires a big sound. When Sam Barber‘s band started up, they knew the assignment. They weren’t playing some country shuffle – they were reaching for U2-style rock as Barber came out and they went into “Borrowed Time.” And here is why a quote-un-quote “country” artist like Sam Barber speaks to me – because musically speaking, his style of country is really just a more rustic style of rock music. Call it Americana or country-rock or alt-country, at its heart, Barber’s music is based around real songwriting.
Songs like “Better Year” spoke to internal struggles, while musically leaning towards the melancholy an adult emo like myself gravitates towards. Barber himself managed to remain in good spirits throughout the evening, even as he dealt with a broken guitar string during one song (he kept singing while the guitar was switched out), and later found his guitar going out of tune mid-song. He also warned once about his voice potentially cracking during a solo, acoustic take of “Lighthouse,” copping to the truth that he was only human and these things happen. The audience didn’t mind.
Though I’ve listened to most of Barber’s music, I can’t say I know his work song for song, though more than most rang a bell for me. Barber showed he could play in more upbeat arenas with his cover of “Jersey Giant”, next to stark tracks like “Cold, Cold Place.” Barber seemed to relish in some of the darkness of “Man of the Year,” giving a glare to the audience as he sang that perfectly embodied the song. It was nice for me to hear him do his collaboration with Jonah Kagen, “Burn Me”, considering I saw Kagen earlier this year.
Barber’s band were of course incredible players. Extra kudos to his lead guitarist and banjo player Luc Nyhus, who seemed intent ton making it a rock show as he laid down solos and heavier riffs, and Barber’s fiddle & keys players Luisa Marion, who also provided some lovely backing and co-lead vocals on tracks where the studio recordings were duets. Marion is a solo artist in her own right, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see an official duet with Barber come out in their future.
The biggest moments for the crowd were of course when Barber played his biggest hits. His break-out song “Straight and Narrow” had everyone singing. “Dancing in the Sky” was a swooning beauty, and the first of his Avery Anna duets (with Marion subbing), “Restless Mind” deeply connected with the audience. And as was expected, the main set closed with his most recent, Billboard charting hit “Indigo”, an unusually somber song for being such a huge smash.
But that’s what’s great about the rise of Barber and musicians like him – they write songs from real, often traumatic places, and it connects with audiences. They aren’t trying to write big pop-country hits; just real music that speaks to the real battles and struggles people are going through. If this is the direction country music continues to go in, then I guess these days I’m a country music fan.
Catch Sam Barber on tour now, and listen to his most recent album Broken View.
The Indy Review 