When first walking into Mother’s Saturday night, it was a considerable surprise to see a packed audience with people standing on the outskirts of the room. As the McKrells began playing, however, it was easy to see what all the interest was about.
The McKrells superbly blended the sounds from a banjo, two guitars, a fiddle, and the drums to create a unique mélange of bluegrass, folk, and country. The music’s style managed to create a flawless interweaving of Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, and the Kenny Wayne Shepard Band.
Kevin McKrell, the lead singer, projected a voice whose powerful tone and compelling harmony rivals those of most famous rock artists, and Brian Melick did a fantastic job using the drums as an extension of himself as opposed to an object that he played upon. Even more outstanding, though, was the quality of the McKrell’s lyrics, which presented stirring, poetic phrases such as “I’ve heard them say that love will find you no matter where you are” and “everyday, that sun, it burnt into my brain.”
Because of the high quality of their lyrics, the songs “I’m still missing you,” which told of a hunter’s journey away from his home, “Toronto,” a humorous tune about getting lost in cold Canada in February, and “Sleep,” drew the crowd in capturing their attention with the rhythm and sound of the words they sang. Each song flawlessly captured the feelings of an emotional moment by speaking to the spirit of the soul.
The McKrell’s added to the experience of their concert by holding a sing-a-long of the song “All of the Hard Days.” All present joined in, singing along with the band and clapping to the beat.
If you’re a fan of good music and taking a chance on something new, try to see the McKrells play live. It’s a good opportunity to get lost in their sound. I had such a great time listening that I purchased two of their CDs, Hit The Ground Running and The McKrells Live.
