Photos: Frankie Cavone/Sabrina Trueheart
It was a packed house on the night of January 27 at The Hollow, a live music venue situated in Downtown Albany, NY on the corner of North Pearl and Columbia Street. A unique combination of concert goers filed into the room – some sported wide brim hats and boots, while others rocked tie-dye shirts, a statement piece of the jam band crowd. “Two of my favorite genres of music are coming together,” I thought to myself prior to the show starting, as I have yet to see a band described as “jammy Americana,” which is how I have seen Midnight North described online. A long-haired man operated the merch table, which featured an array of Midnight North’s whimsical and celestial t-shirts, vinyl records, hats and stickers. To top it off, the stage was lit a shade of midnight blue. The vibes were set – Midnight North was about to create an experience.
The Laura Leigh Band opened the show. A singer-songwriter based in Upstate New York, Laura Leigh is a name that has been circulating the capital region for some time now. As the lights brightened the stage, the group kicked off the night with one hell of a song, “Pete’s Basement.” The lyrics in this tune are so vivid, it’s as if you can see everything happening in real time. In addition to their vividity, the lyrics often made me chuckle, with lines such as, “My old friend Pete, he’s got one arm / He said people are better off that way / Sometimes at night we’d go down to the bar / And he’d beat my ass in pool, you should see that mother fucker play.” Laura’s in-between song banter also maintained a similar sense of humor; dry, yet short and sweet. Before performing her cover of the 1920s bluegrass tune “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down,” she remarked, “I remember when this song first came out; it was a big deal.”
(Photo: Sabrina Trueheart)
The band had a distinct country sound, which was made possible not only by Laura’s voice, but by the use of her Fender Telecaster – an electric guitar known for having a bit of twang to it. She said her third song, “Livin’ In Cambridge” was about loving and hating your hometown at the same time, a sentiment I could certainly relate to, having just moved to the Albany area a couple of years ago to explore new horizons. Laura Leigh’s most obvious gift is storytelling – she sang every song, including the cover songs, as if she were your best friend, drinking wine and retelling the wild stories from her youth. One of my favorite examples of Laura’s storytelling abilities was the original song, “Loretta,” which tells the interesting story of one of her old friends. Lead guitarist Dave Lawlor sprinkled twangy solos throughout every song, which were most prominent in her upbeat songs “Poughkeepsie River” and “Corn Song.”
One of my favorite moments in Laura Leigh’s set was listening to her take on “In the Pines,” a traditional American folk song that I had only previously heard covered by Nirvana. Laura sings with such grit and emotion, as she begs, “My girl, my girl, don’t lie to me / Tell me, where did you sleep last night?” She sang these lyrics as if she was stifled and near tears. Laura uses her storytelling abilities to make cover songs seem as though she wrote them herself, which can be difficult to accomplish.
Midnight North inhabited the stage shortly after the Laura Leigh Band with the ‘70s-inspired song “Round and Round,” an energetic opener with bright, jangly keys and powerful harmonies. “Round and Round” got the crowd floating toward the stage within moments of starting the song, and became my favorite song of the night, mainly due to its quintessentially Americana harmonies and catchy guitar riff. “In the Sunrise” slows it down a bit, creating a smooth and chill vibe reminiscent of R&B music. The detailed lyrics matched this vibe, “There’s no perfect time for love to come around / You only know what’s coming when the ship starts going down / We don’t need to be lost at sea / I’ll find you an anchor and a place to breathe.”
The five-piece band’s third song, “Cold Rain and Snow,” is a traditional folk song most famously covered by the Grateful Dead. The tune was played in a jam band style, with solos that filled the middle section. “Cold Rain and Snow” showcased the musicality of the group, packed with four-part harmonies, solos laced throughout, a jam session that rocked the house, and an undeniable chemistry between all of the members. If any song proved they were locked in, it was their take on “Cold Rain and Snow.”
Photo: Frankie Cavone
“A Great Farewell” was one of the band’s most country-leaning songs. With acapella harmonies that resonated throughout the room and electric guitar solos that had a bit of grit to them, this tune, written by frontwoman Elliott Peck, was another personal favorite of mine. On “Old Country,” bassist Connor O’Sullivan traded his bass guitar for an upright electric bass that gave the song its warm, “old country” feel. The upright bass and haunting harmonies on “Old Country” were reminiscent of Americana groups such as The Lone Bellow. Grahame Lesh carried an infectious riff throughout “Good Days.” The song made me a tinge emotional, as it was the best showcase of Midnight North’s connection. With drummer Nathan Graham providing a steady backbeat, all members were locked in on every beat and every diversion in the jam session that followed.
Two genres that had such an impact on my upbringing were showcased with flying colors at The Hollow that night. Having developed an interest in music by watching VH1 Country everyday after school, and listening to the Grateful Dead channel for hours every week on Sirius XM before school, both Americana music and jam bands hold a special place in my heart. Tonight, I feel as though they both came together in harmony. Music has brought out my inner child time and time again, and Midnight North and the Laura Leigh Band were the latest to do so.
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