The Dead South - Nashville, TN
The last time I saw The Dead South, I was living in Calgary, Canada, and they were performing at The Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. Their set left us in complete awe and I couldn’t wait to see them perform live again! Little did I know that less than a year later, I’d move to Nashville, TN, and get to see (and photograph) these fellow Canadians perform at the “Mother Church” The Ryman Auditorium! For context, The Ryman is one of the most iconic, historical, and beautiful venues in Nashville. To say I was excited to photograph The Dead South performing in this venue was an understatement.
The show opened with The Builders and the Butchers, a six-piece folk rock band based out of Portland, Oregon. Immediately, the audience was hooked by the two drummers at the back of the stage drumming in unison. Ryan Sollee on lead vocals had a raw and intense sound, further highlighted when he picked up and sang through a metal cone into the mic throughout their set. The group is multi-instrumental, and we saw them switch from guitar to mandolin, from percussion to keys. Their set ended with a surprise guest, Adam Turla from the band Murder by Death, joining them to sing and play the tambourine.
As the venue lights dimmed, the stage design of a small western town with a church at the end of the road was backlit as the band took the stage. The Dead South, in their iconic western-styled wear, opened with “Blood on the Mind,” the first track off their new album. If you’re a fan, you instantly noticed that Colton Crawford had been replaced by Caelum Scott. Between songs, we learned he was filling in while Colton recovered from an injury. Despite the lineup change, Caelum crushed the banjo and kick drum parts, and his skills were highlighted throughout the set, with the band now dubbing him Caelum “The Disciple” Scott for this tour.
The set continued with “Yours to Keep” and “Travelin’ Man” with fast banjo plucking. During “Diamond Ring,” like any good grassroots folk song, Nathaniel Hilts and Scott Pringle (with bells on his boot) stomped out the beat while playing guitar and mandolin. Crowd favorite “In Hell I’ll Be In Good Company” included their signature cracking open a beer on the beat and moves from their music video! The crowd, full of energy, was now clapping along to the band snapping as bass player Danny Kenyon whistled out the melody between verses. The night ended with an encore including “Broken” and one of their most popular songs, “Banjo Odyssey,” with the crowd on their feet and singing back “I guess she’s my cousin, but she needs some sweet loving anyway”!
Seeing and photographing The Dead South perform at such an iconic venue here in Nashville was an unforgettable experience. They always ignite the crowd with their fast songs, stomping and stage performance. Whether they’re playing in an auditorium or a historic church, The Dead South never fails to deliver and I can’t wait for their next tour.
