BR-549 and Southern Culture on the Skids
Metro, Chicago 11/20/2002
It was a bit disappointing not to have a full house on hand Wednesday night at Metro for the great double bill of Nashville’s BR-549 and Chapel Hill, NC’s Southern Culture on the Skids. But the three quarters-full or so crowd that did come in from the spitting rain and wind outside pushed up all close to the stage, and I can honestly say that Wednesday night’s show was the first time I’ve had an obstructed view of the action due to a predominance of cowboy hats in the audience. Yee-ha. Let’s get neighborly!
BR-549 sounds, talks, and acts exactly as you’d expect a group of guys who have a standing invitation to play The Grand Ole Opry would. With bolo ties in place, vintage trap kit set, and an array of gorgeous Gretsch guitars primed for optimum twang, the fellas eased into a set of charming honky-tonk music that put grins on faces like they were going out of style. Moving fluidly from the barroom boogie of “Too Lazy To Work, To Scared To Steal” slow-burn crooners that showcased the band’s perfect Everly Brothers (or Louvin Brothers, for that matter) harmonies and some great instrumental sidework from a guy that my man Trey and I swore was David Spade. Switching from autoharp to fiddle to a miniaturized custom Fender job in a Hollywood minute, “Spade” added all the color the songs needed to appeal to the growing crowd on hand.