Photos/Writer: Ed Conway
It was a beautiful night in downtown Troy, NY. The temperature was quite warm, especially for this late in October, but things were about to get a lot hotter inside the Hangar as 2023 Honky Tonk Female Ameripolitan Award winner was about to take the stage. I first saw her at the 2023 Award weekend down in Memphis, Tennessee at her showcase show and she blew me away. She sprinkled her songs with little humorous anecdotes. One of her biggest cliff hangar jokes was, “I’d like to tell you all that I’ll be playing the Grand Ole Opry” after the requisite number of oohs and aahs, she then said, “I’d like to tell you, but….” Well, she can no longer use that joke as it is true, she’ll be making her Opry debut in early December. Oh, and she also won the 2023 Texas CMA Female of the Year award as well. This is the kind of talent the Hangar is famous for bringing in. As would be expected, her backing band was terrific, with Ben Bigby on bass, Avery Paul Davis on drums and, pulling double duty, Kevin Skrla on lead guitar and pedal steel, leading Dean to say he does both because they haven’t found anyone who can play either better. She may be right.
Dean, backed by that superb trio of musicians started right off with her trademark smile, and enchanting Texas drawl, owned the stage, and the audience, the moment she strapped on her guitar. Just like in Memphis, Dean sprinkled stories about her songs, influences.He also talked about quitting her long time job as a third grade teacher to pursue her life long dream of making music. This led to her song “Picket Fence” off her debut album Bad Romantic. A song that basically says she isn’t interested in the fairy tale life with the line, “I don’t want to kiss a frog to be my prince” but instead be a country singer by kicking down that picket fence. Throughout the night, she pulled quite liberally from that album with songs like “You’re Lucky She’s Lonely,” “A Thousand Miles Away,” my favorite from that album, “Blue Jean Country Queen” (a song I found myself singing along to, until I realized that people who don’t know me may misinterpret my enthusiasm), “Hey Mister” and the Leona Williams penned “Yes Ma’am, He Found Me In A Honky Tonk.”
She also pulled quite a bit from her latest album, The Biggest Life. The song “She Ain’t Me” is the perfect revenge song as throughout most of the verses, the singer is wishing she was the other girl with her former lover, but at the end, realizes her life is going great and the other girl should wish she were the singer going on stage at the Opry. Dean used her voice quite well to suit the mood of the song, from tender and soulful for “Can’t Hide The Heartache From Her Face” to powerful for “Clean Up Your Act If You Wanna Talk Dirty To Me” (aimed at a young troll). Also, from that album were “She’s In His Arms But I’m In The Palm Of His Hand” and the night’s closer “The Sun’s Gonna Rise Again” done in a kind of tent revival style to buoy the spirit.
Opening the show was local Outlaw Country band, and 2024 Eddie Award American Artist of the Year nominees, The Brule County Bad Boys, who put on a strong, but short set to get the people in the mood. Started by local chef, Josh Coletto, who provides vocals and rhythm guitar and Sean “Tex” Secor on bass, both of whom provide the songwriting duties. They were joined on stage by Ben Wessels keeping a steady beat on drums, steel guitarist, Steve Golding and Sam Wessels on keys. Lucy Nelligan (Fiddle) and Ian Mahoney (Telecaster) provided the solos.
The only downside for the evening was the lack of audience. While the Hangar brings in top notch entertainment, it rarely has bands at this level. I can’t think of another artist in recent memory that has been invited to play on the Grand Ole Opry. Linda Gail Lewis may be the closest, who’s brother, Jerry Lee Lewis played the Opry. Despite the numbers, Summer Dean put on a show as if the place were packed. Her energy level never wavered and her sense of humor was always bright and cheery. Hopefully, everyone who was there will tell ten friends to come out the next time she comes through again.
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