By Paul T. Mueller
Sunday, Jan. 18, the first full day of Cayamo 2015, kicked off fittingly with a “Gospel Show” in the Atrium of the Norwegian Pearl (it was originally scheduled for the pool deck, but rain forced its relocation inside). Despite the early (by Cayamo standards) hour, the event drew a big crowd, which was rewarded with excellent performances by three bands.
Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors started things off. Your reviewer arrived late, but was able to catch part of the set’s last song and was impressed by lead singer Holcomb’s expressive vocals. Alabama-based Kristy Lee & Dirt Road Revival followed, with a rocking but spiritual set that included such standards as “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and “This Little Light of Mine,” as well as a fine take on Bill Withers’ “Grandma’s Hands.” All of it featured Lee’s powerful voice and the capable backing of her band, featuring guitarist Julz Parker and singer Leesa Gentz, two Australians who also perform as the folk duo Hussy Hicks. The show concluded with an excellent set by second-time Cayamo artists The Lone Bellow. The Brooklyn-based band, which features the tight harmonies of Brian Elmquist, Zach Williams and Kanene Pipkin, performed a slow, sweet rendition of “Watch Over Us” and followed with “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” (beautifully sung by Pipkin) and, in what was said to be its first public performance, a new song that might have been titled “Let’s Go to Heaven Together.”
Skyline Motel
Noon brought a Spinnaker Lounge set by Birds of Chicago, featuring the husband-and-wife duo of J.T. Nero and Allison Russell. The group was one of five “Soundcheck Artists” chosen for Cayamo by passenger vote from among 25 acts. The Birds’ sound features the harmonized vocals of Nero and Russell, backed by Nero’s guitar and Russell’s banjo and clarinet, all in support of a sound that mixes folk, country, gospel and jazz. The set list included several current songs, such as “Nobody Wants to Be Alone Nobody Wants to Die,” “Flying Dreams” and “Barley,” as well as a new song, the country-tinged “Remember Wild Horses.” And there was some entertaining stage banter, to the effect that the usual talk about the hard life of the road might ring a little hollow on a cruise ship in the Caribbean.
Again this year, Cayamo featured a taping of The Buddy and Jim Radio Show for Sirius XM’s Outlaw Country channel, featuring Nashville’s Mr. Everything, Buddy Miller, and the legendary Jim Lauderdale. Backed by a stellar band – bassist Dave Jacques, drummer Marco Giovino, fiddler Fats Kaplin and accordionist Ian Fitchuk – Miller and Lauderdale tore through a fine rendition of “Down South in New Orleans.” A series of guests then took the Stardust stage, including Elizabeth Cook (“Methadone Blues”), Doug Seegers with fiddler Barbara Lamb (“Angie’s Song”), Nikki Lane with Shelly Colvin (“You Can’t Talk to Me Like That”) and Skyline Motel, a young “supergroup” featuring Nashvillians Sarah Buxton, Tom Bukovac, Kate York and Daniel Tashian (“Skyline Motel”). The performances were interspersed with interviews between Miller and Lauderdale and the artists.
Knoxville, Tenn.-based The Black Lillies played the pool deck Sunday afternoon, closing an energetic set with Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” assisted by Atlanta-based singer-songwriter Michelle Malone (another Soundcheck artist) on harmonica, and guitarist Davis Causey from Shawn Mullins’ band.
Nashville’s Nikki Lane, accompanied by Shelly Colvin, entertained a Sunday evening Atrium crowd with her distinctive brand of offbeat country, featuring titles such as “Sleep With a Stranger” and “700,000 Rednecks,” a tribute of sorts to her hometown of Greenville, SC. Lane has attitude to burn and the musical chops to back it up.
Austin-based Band of Heathens got the pool deck crowd dancing on Sunday evening with a loud but melodious set that at times recalled The Band and the Eagles. A little later in the Atrium, second-timers Humming House drew a crowd with their high-energy blend of folk, rock and bluegrass. As often happens in that space, the vocals were a bit muddy, but the band’s enthusiasm and impressive range made the set enjoyable just the same.
Lucinda Williams played her first show of Cayamo 2015 on Sunday night, seemingly more at ease than during her Cayamo debut in 2012. This time out her band included the excellent Stuart Mathis (formerly of The Wallflowers) on lead guitar, plus her longtime rhythm section, bassist David Sutton and drummer Butch Norton. Leading off with “Blessed,” Williams moved on to a string of other favorites, including “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road,” “Crescent City,” “Drunken Angel” and “Changed the Locks.” She also performed several songs from her current album, Down Where the Spirit Meets the Bone, including “Compassion” (based on a poem by her recently deceased father, poet Miller Williams), “When I Look at the World” (solo, with acoustic guitar), and the hard-rocking “Protection.” Buddy Miller joined her onstage for the week’s second rendition of J.J. Cale’s “Magnolia,” followed by an extended version of “Joy” and the joyous “Get Right with God,” featuring vocal assistance from Brandi Carlile.
The “Last Man Standing” jam, hosted by fiddler Luke Bulla, cranked up at midnight and featured a large cast of guests, including, among others, Lyle Lovett and most of his band – bassist Viktor Krauss, drummer Russ Kunkel and multi-instrumentalist Keith Sewell – plus Shawn Colvin, Elizabeth Cook, cellist Nathaniel Smith and members of The Black Lillies.