High Water festival is often thought of as an Americana festival but, if that is indeed true, that particular pigeon hole is a great deal broader than most folks realize. The second day of the festival provided a perfect demonstration incorporating southern sludge, jammy jazz, Texas folk, Gullah spirituals and heart felt indie rock. The day dawned with clouds, a win stiff enough to blow over a half empty tall boy and a tornado watch in beautiful Riverfront Park but the weather never amounted to more than bluster as the music got underway with the Secret Sisters at 12:30. High Water was to have been an album release party for the sisters from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, but dual pregnancies delayed the release. Nonetheless, the two women were in excellent form as their Everly Brothers influenced harmonies soared over the wind. Highlights were kiss-off songs “He’s Fine” and “You Don’t Own me Anymore.”
Next up, one fifteen on a Sunday in a park is an unlikely place to see one of the best rock and roll shows I’ve ever seen, but Thelma and the Sleaze were the clear best show of the festival in my eyes. “Thanks for coming to church with us,” said lead singer and guitarist LG, “Here’s a song about finger-banging.” What followed was an hour of pummeling southern punk-rock as LG made every face and move in the cock-rock repertoire. What could easily have come off as a parody became one of the most real shows I’ve ever seen thanks to the strong songwriting, excellent soloing and profane, hilarious between song banter. Without ever once mentioning feminism, girl power, or empowerment, Thelma and the Sleaze delivered a tour de force feminist statement merely by being themselves. Catch them soon because they are surely headed for a larger stage.
Delivering one of the many neck breaking genre twists of the day, Thelma and the Sleaze were followed by the Charleston based jazz ensemble Ranky Tanky. Boasting the director of the Charleston Jazz Orchestra, a professor of percussion from College of Charleston and other staples of the local scene, the individual members have been active in Charleston for decades and the huge, vocal crowd showed up for this relatively new project. With three members of Gullah heritage, Ranky Tanky plays modern versions of traditional Gullah tunes. If this sounds intimidating, it isn’t. In fact, Ranky Tanky delivered a one-hour non-stop party of funky tunes, hand claps, sing alongs and dancing. Not many people outside of the Low Country are familiar with Gullah culture and Ranky Tanky delivered a master class that none of us even realized we were taking.
Nashville based Lera Lynn has been around for six albums now without really catching fire. She even did the music for a season of HBO’s True Detective (unfortunately, it was season Two). Her show today, which focused on her 2018 release Plays Well With Others, featured excellent word play and her own strong soloing and made a dynamic case that she should be much better known. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band followed. Led by bassist/tuba player Ben Jaffe, the son of founder Alan Jaffe, the PHJB has been playing for over fifty years. On the festival circuit, they are a much different animal than the trad jazz shows one sees in their namesake hall in New Orleans. Much more danceable and funky, they are a jam band as much as a jazz band and they commanded the large crowd, leading sing alongs, synchronized claps and shouts. Nothing world shaking, just an always reliable great time.
Texas born Nashville based Hayes Carll was up next with the most purely “americana” (whatever that means) show of the day. As a songwriter, Carll is known for his literate, wordy songs and Todd Snider like lengthy between songs banter. Today however, he was backed by a five piece band he named the Gulf Coast Orchestra and he let the songs do the talking, barely addressing the crowd. I’ve seen Carll a few times and this was by far the rockingest, loudest show I have seen him do. The set eschewed a lot of his better known songs in favor of new material, all of which sounded excellent, particularly the set opening trio “If I May be So Bold,” “Noneya,” and “Jesus and Elvis.” Other highlights were a cover of Ray Wylie Hubbards “Drunken Poet’s Dream” and a ferocious set closing “KMAG YOYO.”
If you are sensing a theme of bands concentrating on their new record, well it isn’t going to go away. Philly based Dr Dog were up next with a set concentrating on their new record, Critical Equation. Bassist Lead Singer Toby Leamen was in fine form, whirling and chicken dancing around the stage while Scott McMicken and Frank McElroy provided some excellent lead guitar. The sound was full and bright thanks to a touring member who provided guitar, percussion, bass, keys and vocals. Still, for me the set never quite caught fire the way their last Knoxville show did. It’s hard to imagine, but the Dog have been around for seventeen years and ten albums now and I would have preferred to hear a deeper set list.
Indiana scion Durand Jones and the Indicators were a highlight of Bonaroo a couple years ago and I was excited to see their show here. Unfortunately, it seems a lot of the crowd took this as an opportunity to take a break but they don’t know what they missed as Jones and his crackerjack seven-piece put on a highlight set of Cutis Mayfield influenced R and B. Jones is a charismatic front man with great dance moves and a voice that moves from growl to falsetto in a split second. The crowds on the front row were rapturous, singing every word, a sure sign Jones is going places.
As curators of the event, Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst are the king and queen of High Water. It seems as if every other person one speaks to is eager to tell a story of when they met one of them (full disclosure: I’m not immune). Between the births of a new baby and a new album (By Blood, released just three days ago), Shovels and Rope haven’t played in six months. As a result, the set was a bit different than I expected. Last years set was a large affair with a beautifully designed rustic set and extra mikes for the many guests. This was a stripped down, classic Shovels and Rope set, just Mike and Cary, side by side trading instruments and harmonies, exactly like they played small bars for the last decade. It was perfect.
Between the threatening weather, my threatening stomach and the threatening drive, I knew going into J Roddy Walston and the Business that I wasn’t going to be able to make headliners The Head and the Heart and that J Roddy would be last show and what a show it was. Walston is a force of nature on stage, a whirlwind of screaming vocals, non-stop motion, flying hair and pounding fists. Walston views his piano equally as a percussion instrument and performance prop but he spends as much time standing on everything he can stand on, moving from stage edge to stage edge and exhorting the crowd to give back as he does playing. Walston has been of the best shows of every festival I have seen him at and this was no exception.
