Photos/Writer: Ed Conway
Big Sandy & His Fly-Rites made their annual pilgrimage to the northeast with a stop in the Capital District at Troy’s Hangar On The Hudson. As always, Big Sandy’s (Robert Williams) voice was smooth as glass and was ably backed by The Fly-Rites. Throughout the entire night, Ashley Kingman, who has been in the band for more than 30 years, kept up a constant barrage of lead guitar counterpointing Big Sandy’s melodies, stepping out when necessary to add to the songs with perfectly appointed solos. To watch Kingman play, he looks so relaxed, it’s easy to miss just how intricately each note is played. Keeping the beat, in the back, drummer Frankie Hernandez, the youngest member ,plays with a finesse well beyond his years. He pushes the beat forward strongly, or backs off subtly depending on what the song needs. Upright bassist, Russell Scott, the newest member of the band, but maybe the longest friend of Robert can slap with the best of them and matches perfectly with Hernandez.
With songs like Ray Price’s “Walk Me To The Door,” The Fly-Rites dip their toe into Honky Tonk with a sound that reminds me of Faron Young’s “Face To The Wall,” they did Faron Young’s “I’m A Free Man Now.” Another cover that got the audience going was Elvis’ “One Sided Love Affair.” Big Sandy is a huge fan of Freddie Fender, as can be seen from a release a few years ago of Freddie Fender classics, including “When The Next Teardrop Falls” and “Wasted Days And Wasted Nights,’ which he also performed during the first set. I was lucky enough to see him performing with a couple of the original Texas Tornadoes down at the Ameripolitan Award Ceremony down in Austin this past February, he was in his glory.
As great as these covers may be, where the band really shines is Big Sandy originals. A few of my favorites during the night were “Spanish Dagger,” a song that leans heavily on a latin beat, which shows the versatility of the musicians. “Hot Water,” off Fly Rite With Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Trio album was dedicated to Michael “Chops” LaConte. “Super Fine,” which is the A side of the last original 45 released by the band back in 2016. But the highlight of the evening came when he played the B side, “Every Time.” Last year, Big Sandy mentioned he liked the cover videos I had done for fun and asked if I ever did that one. I mentioned I hadn’t, but promised I would. Recently, I kept the promise and after dedicating the song to me, he brought me up on stage to introduce me to the crowd, which while totally unexpected, it was extremely nice of him. Finishing off the evening was “Chalk It Up To The Blues” a show staple for many years.
The band, as always, gave it their all for a two-set show. From the velvety voice of Big Sandy, to the tasteful fills and solos of Ashley Kingman and backed by the strong rhythm sections of Russell Scott and Frankie Hernandez, it was a wonderful evening of music. The audience radiated love for the band and the band, in turn, took the energy and gave it right back.
