Nearly a thousand people came out to support the 500 Miles to Memphis CD release show last night at Newport’s Southgate House. The historical/haunted venue sold out just before 500 Miles took the stage around 11 pm, and some were even turned away. The bill featured a number of other bands, some of 500′s local and out of town friends. Knowing that there would be a big crowd, I arrived about an hour before the whole thing started, to find an already decent sized crowd.
Locals Duppy a’ Jamba (pictured above), were the first band to start things off, right around 8:30 pm in the upstairs parlour. They brought a big, excited crowd that danced along to their feel-good mix of punk, ska, reggae, jazz and funk. They were as tight as any band I’ve ever seen; from the drummer and percussionist who provided some nasty beats, to the organist and bassist who rounded out the sound, to the men on trombone and sax who traded solos throughout…all were led by their fearless, powerful leader who shouted out their politically-charged anthems. Downstairs in the ballroom, Nashville’s Shotgun Lover started things off on the mainstage. I wasn’t at all familiar with these guys, but was ever so glad that 500 introduced them to Cincinnati. I was hooked from the moment I heard (what sounded like to me), a blend of old school Wilco and My Morning Jacket, influenced by hard rock, blues and metal. Upstairs in the lounge, Paul K of Louisville’s Weathermen brought a quieter side to things. The veteran songwriter who has over thirty recordings in his catalogue, played an intimate, stripped down acoustic show, sharing personal stories and heartfelt poetry.
Back up in the parlour, Six Nights Alone from Illinois brought a familiar sound reminiscent of 500 Miles. They had a nice mix of old school country and punk, most likely influenced by greats like Cash, Waylon, Strummer and Rotten. They too were driven by the sounds of the pedal steel, from music vet Mark Oberfell. Let’s go back downstairs to the ballroom, where Todd Lipscomb and the Kentucky Struts were cranking out Americana-bred indie rock. Their sound made me think that this could be the result you would get if Wilco could go back in time and be Gram Parsons backing band. Meanwhile, back up in the lounge, Forrest and the boys of The Mudpies were cranking out classic rock and blues. Back up in the parlour, Veronica Grim was leading De Los Muertos through a mix of dark gothic punk rock, topped off with a few drops of western and Latin sounds. The Underground Saints from Pennsylvania finished the night up in the parlour, playing to a rather disappointing small crowd.
But the night belonged to 500 Miles. It was all about them and their new record, We’ve Built Up to NOTHING. They’ve been touring the last several years on the songs from their past two efforts, most notably, Sunshine In A Shotglass, and since that album’s release in 2005, a couple things have changed with the band. They’ve got two new full-time members; Elaina Brown on the keys and Noah Sugarman, who’s been a pretty good solo artist the past few years, on guitar. For the new album, they took their sound to even greater lengths with the addition of an orchestra, expanding on a sound we’ve all come to know and love. With help from the fiddle player and a two-person horn section last night, 500 Miles have certainly stepped up their game and seem to be a little closer on that golden road to success.
I’m sure most of the 500 fans all knew the bar would be raised for these new songs, but after last night’s performance (the first time I was hearing these new songs), I saw 500 Miles achieve much greater heights than I had expected. I really like the name of the album as well. What I take from it, is that they feel they have not yet reached their goals. Maybe they haven’t quite reached that place just yet, but they’ve put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into what they do over the past several years; and it seems like they’re enjoying it much more than ever. When I look back on the very first time I saw them perform, which was upstairs at the Poison Room (now Mainstay Rock Bar) to a crowd no more than thirty or forty at one of the CincyPunk festivals, I see that 500 Miles to Memphis have certainly built up to something.