ASCAP Showcase Review: Boo or Whew!

Smith’s Olde Bar – Atlanta, GA

by Judas Moon

Next was Conner Christian & Southern Gothic…

One thing came to mind when these guys came on stage: the Jonas Brothers with a fiddle??? But then the music started and I was quickly pulled out of my intellectually jaded musical snobbery.  I was simply amazed. The dynamics in their style just about pulled me out of the chair onto the dance floor with only one mission in mind: to find some unsuspecting sweetheart with whom I could perform my own little rock n roll square dance. The crowd transformed from a small group of politely nodding mannequins to a mass of agile zombies hungry for some really good music. Eventually, I couldn’t even see the band play because there were so many people standing and dancing and being magnetized by a band that has dared to mix country with genres that even I don’t remember  the name of. The front man was truly charismatic and as a vocalist, he was gifted with the rasp and grit of a heavy metal screamer and the romantic sadness of a blues singer. With songs like “Stella Please,” “Winter,” and “Hang My Head,”  I have not only been exposed to a more edible form of country, but I have obtained more of a respect for country music in general. I wouldn’t be surprised if these guys found themselves on CMT by next year at the latest. They not only get a “Bravo!” from me but they get a loud “Yee-fucking-Haw!”.  If I were to assign one word to Conner Christian & Southern Gothic, it would be the word DYNAMIC! Even their outro was DYNAMIC! And I am DYNAMICALLY impressed!

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