By Ken Paulson
I first saw Tim Carroll perform at a Nashville festival in the late ‘90s, where he shared a set with Amy Rigby and Kevin Gordon. All three impressed and clearly had bright futures, fueled by remarkable songs. Over the past 15 years, all have had considerable critical acclaim, though none have had major commercial success.
Tim Carroll at Mayday Brewery
That doesn’t appear to bother Carroll, who recapped his career in a song at his show at the Mayday Brewery in Murfreesboro, TN, Saturday night.
“All I ever wanted was to play guitar/never really cared if I became a star/everybody says I’m close, but no cigar” he sang on “That’s Rock & Roll,” a track from his Look Out! album.
Joined by bassist Bones Hillman and drummer Steve Lantanation, Carroll turned in a vibrant set of full throttle rock ‘n’ roll. He played for almost 2 hours, including songs from his upcoming album Pure Coal. Carroll was self-deprecating throughout, explaining to the audience that they wouldn’t know any of the songs “because I wrote them” and radio doesn’t play them. And that’s a shame.
Mayday is a special venue. It’s a brewery and not a club, and the menu consists of beer and more beer. A food truck outside offers dinner. It’s a sparse, but great setting for live music.
The crowd at the Carroll show was modest, and most in the audience seemed to have wandered in from the bar.
Bu no matter. Carroll, Hillman and Lantanation never let up, delivering energetic and anthemic music all night, including “You Can’t Stay Young, But You Can Stay Cool.” For Tim Carroll, that’s mission accomplished.
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