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Nettie Rose debuted on The Billy Block Show live from Mercy Lounge Tuesday night weaving tales from the San Francisco gold rush days to sharing her own stories of modern L.A.life.
Her voice is part plaintive Wildwood Flower , Wanda Jackson “Fuji Yama Mama” with a little scratch tickling the throat and sometimes pure catfight from a Boomtown Dance Hall girl that has been through too many “love ‘em and leave ‘em” romances from a transient California strike it rich past.
Nettie Rose had been in Nashville the past few days recording new songs, one of which ”Deaf Cowboy” was debuted during the six song set that gave Nashville a taste of California’s history and country music heritage as well as the first song she wrote, the sing-a-long “Ride, Ride, Ride.”
Current mentor and co-writer, Fred Sokolow was featured on some pre-Bakersfield Sound style Tele work as well as “Speedy West” Electric Hawaiian tone that played like on old California Town Hall Party 78 record.
Upright bassist extraordinaire, John “Spazz” Hatton, who has played with Brian Setzer, kept the bottom end somewhere between early Bob Wills and Sun Records’ Tennessee Two percussive slaps when needed, like they were goin’ to play the Grand Ole Opry in 1952 and couldn’t use a drummer.
Lynn Shipley Sokolow on banjo gave the quartet a pre-war Americana feel to the evening.
Nettie Rose referenced Ernest Tubb as an inspiration on one song as she seemed to pull back the concrete jungle of modern Bay Area Cali and The Sunset Strip to reveal a parallel universe where Nettie Rose seemed to be an ether conduit for hard living gold rush era women telling their story of living from Mendocino and Oakland [“Last Chance Saloon”] on down to pre-highway Southern California where somebody was on horseback trying to outrun the law going over the “Grapevine.”
Nettie Rose did a cover of “Don’t Fence Me In” which fit the vintage motif although many songs reflected the current state of affairs written from a hanging out at McCabe’s Guitar Store point of view rather than partying with the ecstasy crowd.
The poetic lyrics reflect a well-read deep thinker rather than an insipid “throw your hands up in the air” refrain and this will remind listeners that California is also the land of Lucinda Williams and Ryan Bingham as well as the growing up years of songwriters’ Darrell Scott and Jeffrey Steel.
California is also the birthright of Tele’s and Fender Amps, Bigsby tailpieces, Dobro guitars and The Byrds’ “Sweetheart Of The Rodeo” as well as Rose Maddox’ pre-Rockabilly pumped up Hillbilly muse.
The one thing Nettie Rose accomplishes better than just about any muddy roots artist out there today is that she is able to weave modern tales and vintage sounds like they can co-exist without some weird juxtapose which doesn’t box her in like, say for example San Joaquin Valley throwback Frank Fairfield who can give a definitive 110 year old style from the top down on a Thompson Square 10 inch but, has a style that is very hard to translate into a modern storyline.
The advance copy of People I Know shows diversity in storylines that go concurrently with real time to the California that the first Pioneers, Gold Miners and Okies experienced over the last two hundred years when it was the Wild, Wild, West. Colin Linden has production credits and is currently part of the team working with T Bone Burnett making music for the hit TV show Nashville.
Nettie Rose appears to have a good West Coast based team of musicians, music business friends and a three generation music family that are supportive of her quest and it appears that will be helpful in her effort to be a genuine West Coast modern Bob Dylanesque storyteller of the rough and tumble life of California’s golden years.
– Brad Hardisty, Nashville, TN thenashvillebridgeathotmaildotcom
The park in front of the courthouse has proven to be a good place to gather downtown just a few blocks north of Broadway.
Emmylou Harris kicked things off before Barbershop and String Quartets took a turn at the microphone.
Things finally kicked up a notch with one of the twin highlights of the afternoon as Sam Bush and Del McCoury jammed for several numbers trading off flat-picking and mandolin on well-known standards.
For some, this was the reason for hanging at the front of the stage while for others the rare appearance of many of Nashville’s classic R&B era was the reason to party.
Before that, Brenda Lee walked up to the podium and addressed the crowd on what Nashville has meant for her and her career. It’s a great place to live as well as a chance ticket to stardom.
Jimmy Church kicked the Night Train section off with Bobby Hebb’s “Sunny” which is the quintessential song from the classic Jefferson Street years.
Marion James’ did the classic, “24 Hours A Day” with Michael Gray from The Country Music Hall of Fame talking about each song that was chosen and the artists that made them big.
The Valentines made a rare appearance as well as the McCrary Sisters.
It was a great afternoon break and an opportunity for parents to expose their children to some great live music.
– Brad Hardisty, Nashville, TN thenashvillebridge@hotmail.com