With the gale force winds from the past two days subsiding, early Sunday afternoon was far more tolerable, though you could still sense some people were moving at a slower pace after living it up the night before.
Alabama alt-country singer Shelly Colvin (no relation to Shawn), who possesses a keening voice akin to Emmylou Harris’ distinctive tone, started the Mustang stage’s proceedings with some laid-back tunes that at times brought to mind Sheryl Crow.
She’s done studio work for others, collaborated with JD Souther and Old Crow Medicine Show, had music placements in films and just opened for fellow Stagecoach artist John Prine. Here, Colvin was backed by an impressive band that featured members of Dawes, My Morning Jacket and Everest, plus veteran pedal steel master Greg Leisz. Hypnotic songs from her 2012 full-length effort Up the Hickory, Down the Pine fared best, notably “Wishing Well” and one whose lyrics ask “where’s my Studebaker?” (When was the last time you heard mention of that ancient car?)
Click here for Day 2 coverage or check out our Day 1 wrap-up here.
Speaking of Dawes, Jonny Fritz, previously known under the surname Corndawg, utilized that band’s guitarist, Taylor Goldsmith, to co-produce last year’s Dad Country. His set in Palomino made prodigious use of fiddle, but despite the inclusion of Goldsmith on a few cuts, it came across like undistinguishable music for truckers. Maybe the recorded versions of “Shut Up” and “The Life of Bear” are better.
Shovels and Rope had a White Stripes-type deal going on in the same tent immediately afterward. The male-female duo, already Americana Music Award winners, had plenty of people dancing around on their fun, bluesy songs, colored by guitar, drums and keyboards. … George A. Paul
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The setting was perfect Sunday to arrive early and catch the day’s opener, I See Hawks in L.A. Over the years the locally loved band has been compared to everybody from the Eagles and Gram Parsons to Warren Zevon, and the quintet’s 35-minute set proved there’s truth in those associations. The group’s ’70s vibe rang true whether amid country-mining rockers (especially “Rock ’n’ Roll Cymbal from the Seventies”), post-psychedelic departures (“Raised by Hippies,” “Humboldt”) or Jayhawks-style folk-rock (“Good and Foolish Times”).
With Corey Smith unable to make his 2 p.m. slot on the Mane Stage, Nashville outfit the Railers were called in to pinch hit. The group was up to the task and actually got some early birds to listen in the large expanse nearest to the festival’s biggest platform.
But what a difference a venue makes: When only an hour or so later the same gang took to the Mustang tent for its scheduled appearance, they proved capable of convincingly winning over a crowd – not because they changed their approach but because they were in a setting where people could actually tune in more intently.
One particular rocker, “The Lessons I Don’t Want to Learn,” featuring Cassandra Lawson on concertina and a good audience clap-along, was among the early highlights. A version of the Band’s classic “The Weight” came next, with the Railers’ shining harmonies and Jordan Lawson’s fiddle playing giving this version a unique touch.
Cheers for the band’s instrumental Celtic jam, dubbed “The Irish Song,” exploded as brothers Jonathan (mandolin) and Jordan (fiddle) got completely locked into the piece, turning the Mustang tent into a warm little pub. There were a number of originals in their set that ought to be embraced by commercial radio when the band’s debut is released (likely later this year), including the up-tempo “Seeing the World” and their closing cut, “I Kind of Dig the Feeling.” … Robert Kinsler
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Finally – Day 3 of Stagecoach! We made it! Well, some of us anyway – more patrons filed in for early sets today than yesterday. This is, after all, the last chance to party it up country-style in Indio. Plus, it’s a beautiful Sunday: mid-70s, with a light, cool breeze and clear skies.
Fans turned up at the Mane Stage pit for Charlie Worsham, who put on a fun 40-minute set that featured his tune “Want Me Too” and a banjo-driven cover of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” that transitioned into Jerry Reed’s “East Bound and Down.”
Before heading into that crowd-pleasing medley, Worsham said he had heard a mandolin in a previous set – which, much like the banjo, he said, “is like an aphrodisiac for a redneck.” Really? Fascinating. I’ve learned something new here every day.
Chris Cagle delivered a modest run despite his sarcastically cocky intro: “I’m Chris Cagle and for the next 45 minutes your butt is mine!” He easily drove through familiar radio fare – “The Love Between a Woman and a Man,” “I Breathe In, I Breathe Out,” “What Kinda Gone” – and got the wild ’n’ ready pit crowd, which steadily swelled throughout his turn, singing along to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Saturday Night Special.”
He also explained the idea behind another track, which I didn’t catch the title of because I was so overwhelmed by all of his redneck buzz words. The song was about him watching his wife riding a horse in flip-flops and Daisy Dukes, while Cagle sat in a Walmart chair next to his fire pit on the porch of his double-wide trailer in Oklahoma. Yee-haw win!
I did wander over to catch a bit of Wanda Jackson’s set in time to hear her deliver a mighty scream and a little “Cowboy Yodel.” I found a spot near the front and wound up next to Tiger Army frontman and roots-rock solo act Nick 13, who sang along.
As I file my last report before Monday’s final wrap-up, I’m currently enjoying a Mane set by the dreamy Dustin Lynch. More on that later, but I’ll say now that he knows exactly how to wear those snug-fitting blue jeans. Not surprisingly, the pit has suddenly filled up with lots of ladies. … Kelli Skye Fadroski
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“Thanks for making my dreams come true,” said an ebullient Susanna Hoffs during her Stagecoach debut Sunday afternoon. Back in December, the Bangles’ frontwoman told me in an interview that she’d always wanted to play the festival.
Her all-male band here included Andrew Brassell, who helped craft Hoffs’ winsome 2012 solo album, Someday. Yet, surprisingly, only one selection from that effort, seemingly tailor-made for this fest, was featured: the glorious “Raining,” for which a music video was shot in the Coachella Valley.
I figured Hoffs might rework some Bangles tunes with pedal steel or fiddle to make them countrified. Nope. Instead, it was multiple rocking hits from her primary group (“Walk Like an Egytian,” “Eternal Flame,” the Prince-penned “Manic Monday,” their cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Hazy Shade of Winter”) with male-centric backing vocals for an interesting change of pace.
“Egyptian” did include slide guitar, though, and there were other pleasant twists. Hoffs’ take on the Stone Poneys’ “Different Drum” – sung by Linda Ronstadt but penned by Michael Nesmith, who would perform here later – was as delightful as it is on her Under the Covers, Vol. 1 collaboration with Matthew Sweet. “In Your Room” and Big Star’s “September Gurls” were brawnier than the Bangles’ versions and found Hoffs shaking her long hair while playing a signature Rickenbacker guitar.
Buddy Holly’s “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore” boasted subtle electric guitar, harmonica and a hushed vocal. And the dramatic rarity “I’ll Keep It with Mine,” a Dylan gem covered by the Paisley Underground offshoot project Rainy Day in 1984, apparently made its live debut in Indio. Hoffs’ honeyed delivery and another bandmate’s fuzz-tone guitar made it a standout. Although the Mustang was half-full, fans in attendance were really devoted.
Instrumental twang guitar master Duane Eddy displayed plenty of dexterity – even at 76 – during his time in the Palomino tent. He brought along a tight band that featured a saxophonist (sometimes two when the keyboardist joined in) and MC5 axe man Wayne Kramer (!) on acoustic and electric models.
With Nick 13 of Tiger Army watching from the front of the stage, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer elated with plenty of nuggets your parents or grandparents probably played on 45 records: big hits “Rebel Rouser,” “Because They’re Young” and “Peter Gunn,” not to mention tasty morsels like “Ramrod” (enlivened with barrelhouse piano), the self-descriptive “3:30 Blues” and “Some Kind of Earthquake.” The legend, playing on orange six-string gear, described each song and seemed to enjoy himself.
Passing by the Mustang stage, Sleepy Man Banjo Boys, comprising mostly teenage musicians, prompted plenty of do-si-dos with their feisty bluegrass. Even more dancing was to be had in the same spot where Asleep at the Wheel also held court later.
Much like Eddy, the veteran band’s enjoyable set was like a trip back several decades, especially while delving into their famed stock-in-trade: the catalog of Bob Wills, King of Western Swing. Tall frontman Ray Benson’s stentorian voice definitely demanded attention, even from far outside the tent. The group also excelled during the old standard “Route 66” and “Miles and Miles of Road.” … George A. Paul
More from Stagecoach 2014
- Jason Aldean keeps the party going, Hunter Hayes leaves fans squealing
- Ladies rule early on Day 2: Holly Williams, Sara Haze and more
- Eric Church battles the wind, Lynyrd Skynyrd draws an overflow crowd
- Rootsy upstarts kick off Day 1: JD McPherson, Howlin’ Brothers and more
Photo: Getty Images
