Nobody said it would be fair...but life was pretty good Saturday night in Marietta. It's easily been 20+ years since I've seen Drivin n Cryin. Things have changed a lot, but then again...hardly at all. Kevn Kinney is bigger around the middle, kinda like me. But he still plays with those eyes closed. I think I only saw him open them twice.
Talking with Chris pre-show I was reminded how big DnC could've been. I mean, if you are from down here, you know them. But they're not a band with a national footprint. At the point when they were a hot ticket, Kinney chose the rock and roll road less traveled. Kept things simple. Stuck to just making good music.
One big thing that has changed however is the lead guitarist is now a young man that wasn't even born when the rest of us were swaying back and forth to the Honeysuckle Blue. How scarred could a twenty-something year old be?
Well, meet Sadler Vaden. This kid has been through a lot in his life, and now has hit a trajectory that may know no limit. A legend around Charleston and the former front man for Leslie, Vaden plays with his soul pouring through his finger tips. The kid just has it.
Take a look.
That was the lead in to the encore. It was clear well before then that this Vaden guy was worthy of a stage shared with the legendary Kevn Kinney. In fact, with all due respect to Kevn's vocal chords, in my view Vaden's guitar was the highlight. Here's some more on his transition into one of the greatest rock bands ever.
So if you're a Drivin n Cryin fan, check out their new EP Songs from the Laundromat. It's the first of four EPs to be released within the next year. Good stuff. And it also has the tribute to REM on it.
And one more thing to look for will be Eric Von Haessler's documentary Scarred but Smarter. As great as the last 26 or so years have been, the best may be just comin' around to the Powerhouse.
So if you're a Drivin n Cryin fan, check out their new EP Songs from the Laundromat. It's the first of four EPs to be released within the next year. Good stuff. And it also has the tribute to REM on it.
And one more thing to look for will be Eric Von Haessler's documentary Scarred but Smarter. As great as the last 26 or so years have been, the best may be just comin' around to the Powerhouse.
2 comments:
I love that Drivin' N Cryin' is not only still playing live, but also putting out new music. I will definitely check out the documentary when it becomes available. Thanks for sharing this, Bernie!
I think they're pretty energized. Kinney's voice isn't quite the same (how could it be really?). But they are as good of a band as they ever have been. I'd be especially interested to hear what you think about their REM tribute. I think it's interesting to hear Kinney's voice on a tune that really closely resembles something Buck and Stipe would put out.
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