Joel Timmons proved himself more than an opening act at the Hutton Hotel’s Analog Lounge on Wednesday, February 13. Both Timmons and the Chatham Rabbits showcased brand-new album releases. Timmons’ genre-defying debut solo album Psychedelic Surf Country launched on February 7 was produced by Maya de Vitry, who also played on the album and with Timmons on stage. Timmons was joined by his wife Shelby Means, Grammy-winning bass player, contributing to the dynamics of the band. She was at the top of her game on duet vocals on “The Bullfighter” (sung by Cary Ann Hearst on the album).
Timmons’ lyrics often pay homage to his home on Sullivan Island, SC, but also give a nod and a wink to his time in Nashville. He opened with “Cottage by the Sea,” followed by his cover of Loudon Wainwright III’s “The Swimming Song.” They were joined on stage by Jason Carter, long-time fiddler for Del McCoury band, who also played on the album, bringing twin-fiddle magic to the set.
Timmons sang some of his more serious tracks from the album, but he may be at his best on those songs he delivers with tongue in cheek and a wink. “East Nashville Cowboy,” with references to lattes and hot chicken, may be as much self-deprecation as a ribbing to a stereotype. “Just a Man” pays tribute to Timmons’ dad, while “Guitars, Guns, and Pickup” trucks delivers a clever glimpse at his early relationship with his father-in-law, Means’ dad.
The song opens with the drill:
If you want to date my daughter, I’ve got a little list,
It’s a bit of a questionnaire. Won’t you tell me this?
Do you have health insurance and a college degree?
What kind of job do you work? Do you eat red meat?
The quandary is resolved as he decides they can “shoot the bull and kill some time.”
Timmons and his band dazzled the audience with more than his mullet and dash of glitter, ending their set with crowd favorite “Turbo,” the story of an account of an encounter with local police and a drug-sniffing lab. With the catchiest chorus of the evening and keys echoing the sound of sirens, the band closed out their set on a high note.
Chatham Rabbits, the husband-and-wife duo Sarah and Austin McCombie, played the first leg of their tour to promote their fourth full-length album Be Real with Me, released on Valentine’s Day. They played the first four songs without commentary, before the energetic Sarah began her side of their repartee that put the Chat in Chatham.
Revealing that this was their first time to play Nashville with a full band, Sarah noted that on their first visit to Nashville seven years before, they had played Puckett’s in Leiper’s Fork and busked. While the influence of their string band musical history showed through, this album reveals a maturity to their music, as they face some of the dilemmas of balancing life choices against a life on the road. Her song “Collateral Damage” explores the tension between a desire for parenthood and the consideration of the professional cost. “Matador, from which the title of the album was taken, was also written by Sarah and asks, “How long can I blame this little piece of sadness on myself?”
For the first three songs, the pair took the stage alone with his guitar and her banjo. They were then joined by band members on keyboard, drums, and bass.
Austin sang the lead on “Did I Really Know Him?” which he called “the saddest song of the set.” He told of writing the song in fifteen minutes during a weeklong retreat booked by Sarah for songwriting, admitting he spent the other six and a half days fly-fishing.
Their rendition of Flatt and Scruggs “The Good Things (Outweigh the Bad)” had the strongest old-time flavor of the night, showcasing Sarah’s lovely vocals and the on-stage harmony that appears to mirror the couple’s personal dynamics
To introduce “You Never Told Me I Was Pretty,” they shared the story of their pandemic experience, which they called “the Stay at Home Tour.” They obtained a flatbed trailer with solar panels and toured, Austin said, “like musical Jehovah’s Witnesses. During that period, they played 194 neighborhood shows. The song was written when they were commissioned to write a song as a birthday gift from a fan to her husband.
Clearly the McCombie’s are channeling what they learn as they enter a new decade and experience life changes to produce some of their most transparent lyrics, including “One Little Orange,” about Sarah’s grandfather, whose early death left her dependent on other people’s memories.
Austin’s more reticent stage presence and brief repartee serve as a foil to Sarah’s constant movement and running narratives. They take seriously their own advice “Be Real with Me” in their performances, making genuine connections with the audience in the Analog’s intimate setting.