Musical Act: Sturgill Simpson
Venue: Paramount Theater
Sturgill Simpson is the new breed of outlaw country. His voice takes me back to listening to Waylon Jennings on AM radio in my dad’s 1972 Mercury Monarch. He played a great set drawing heavily from all three of his albums. He’s got a super talented band and for this tour he has added a New Orleans horn section and the arrangements took the music to a whole new level. The highlight for me was ‘Long White Line’ which rolled into a cover of ‘They Call Me the Breeze’ into ‘When the Levee Breaks’ back to ‘Long White Line’.
This is not typical radio friendly country music but he’s quickly making a name for himself reviving the timeless sound of legends like Willie, Johnny and Hank. He sold out the 1,870 seat Paramount Theater on back-to-back nights.
The opening act was The London Souls, an impressive two piece from New York City. They’ve got a stripped down sound with greasy guitar and a fantastic drummer that sings. Both band members have great rock ‘n’ roll hair. Check out their song ‘Steady’. I’m a fan.
