The only thing better than a rollicking and intimate evening of entertainment from a high-energy bluegrass band at the Hutton Hotel’s Analog in Nashville is two such bands. On Wednesday, the band Arkansauce from—you guessed it—Arkansas joined was joined by Fireside Collective out of Asheville, North Carolina. The show marked the opening night of their tour together.
Taking the stage first, Arkansauce opened with a song off their OK to Wonder album, which came out earlier this year. “Coldiron” was written by Ethan Bush, who “sings most of the songs and plays all the mandolin” and warns, “if you go looking for trouble out there, baby / trouble may be all you’ll find.” Joining Bush is guitarist Zac Archuleta, one of the co-founders of the band; Tom Andersen on upright bass; and Adams Collins on banjo.
They followed with “The First Night of the Tour,” noting that the song’s lyrics, “Everybody knows that you don’t get drunk the very first night of the tour,” may be the most commonly broken rule of music performance. The full-speed-ahead performance of the four-piece band did not eclipse the band’s creative vocal arrangements. “Peephole,” set in “Bloody Madison” County, from their earlier All Day Long album, has an acapella opening before breaking into full bluegrass instrumentals:
People do bad things for money
People do evil things for drugs
I’ve better men than me do worse for love
Performing live allowed the band to expand the songs from their albums into full-out jams on what they referred to as “a church night.” Their instrumental “Funky Gorilla” from the newest album showcased their full range of skills
They also performed “Walk Beside Me” written by Tim O’Brien and Darrell Scott, but most of the set list was composed of the band’s original tunes, such as “Love Is a Dangerous Game” and “Paralyzed,” showcasing their clever lyrics as well as their fresh take on bluegrass.
Fireside Collective took the stage next, serving up another high-energy set of music. They opened with “The Devil’s on the Hillside,” a fun favorite, followed by their take on Waylon Jennings’ “Ain’t Living Long Like This.” Bass player Carson White has switched from upright bass to electric, and his licks certainly justified the move.
They were joined on stage by Alex Genova on banjo, who recently left the band to move to the Nashville area for graduate studies. Mandolinist Jesse Iaquinto quipped, “It’s great to have a guest artist who knows literally all of your songs.”
They traded out leads, with dobro player Tommy Maher singing his song “Fast Train,” as well as the closing song, “Blue Is My Condition.” From Across the Divide, their most recent album. They also played “Bring It on Home” and “Running Wild Again” with guitarist Joe Cicero on lead.
While bluegrass bands don’t usually have featured dancers, Iaquinto’s three-year-old daughter Rose earned her share of the spotlight, first dancing along with Arkansauce during their set and then while her father serenaded her with “When You Fall.” She eventually joined the band on stage after promising not to touch the buttons.
The double-header at the Analog is a reminder that some of the best shows in Nashville happen in the smaller spaces.
https://www.arkansaucemusic.com
http://www.firesidecollectiveband.com
