Presented by Holly G, country music advocate/fan and founder of Black Opry, The Black Opry Revue tour came to City Winery Philly on Wednesday, February 16th. Spanning country, folk, blues, and Americana influences, the singer/songwriter in the round format featured Jett Holden, Roberta Lea, Tylar Bryant, Autumn Nicholas, and hometown artist Sug Daniels.
I’m usually a bit skeptical to attend anything billed as a country music show. Growing up in Philly, anti-Dallas sentiment might have something to do with that; however, as a mainstream genre, I never felt that I was the intended audience. “Three chords and the truth” sounds right up my alley, so the disconnect is clearly something else. I’ll leave that to you to figure out.
Going into the night, I knew barely anything about the artists showcasing. During the show, performer Sug Daniels even jokingly said she didn’t know any of the other artists from a can of paint. For 5 rounds, each artist shared something about themselves or a brief story behind the song they were about to perform. As artists, their styles ran the gamut and were beyond definition by a single genre label. In between songs, the admiration shared and acknowledgement of experiences made it a very personal, intimate, and emotional encounter for the artists, as well as the audience. Rather than the typical tropes, they tackled heavy themes like loss, rejection, mental health, and the importance of looking out for your people (whether it be checking in on a loved one or calling out injustice when you see it). There was no shortage of truth among these artists.
Keep scrolling to read more and see photos from the show.
Sug Daniels (who gets bonus points for playing the uke) engaged her stage-mates and the audience with her charming and extroverted presence. She gave a shout out to WXPN before performing “Heavy” (a song about falling in love with your best friend), which the radio station has been playing on heavy rotation. See what I did there, hehe? Make sure to check out Sug Daniels’ Franklin Street EP released in 2021 through Weird Sister Records. You can catch her again next month when she opens up for John Oates (yes, that Oates) at The Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, PA. Otherwise, I’m hoping she hits the small club/DIY circuit soon (ahem, Flemington DIY).
On songs like “Necromancer” and “Taxidermy”, folk artist Jett Holden shows his chops as a lyricist/songwriter and his powerful vocals and emotional angst rightfully got my attention. This is a lazy comparison, but his raw vocal style is reminiscent of The Tallest Man on Earth – when singing lyrics like “I’ll believe that my life matters to you when I’m more than taxidermy for your Facebook wall” (from “Taxidermy“), it hits hard. But when he belts out “they’ll argue I deserved it in the courts” it hits even harder. Powerful and political, he’s an artist we need during these times.
According to Roberta Lea, it took her a while to be comfortable with claiming her title as a country music artist. She credits Black Opry for helping her find her voice and community. On songs like “Ghetto Country Streets”, “Spades”, and “King Size”, her songwriting is upbeat yet deeply personal with each one telling a story. On a new song, she proclaimed the lyrics “if I’m too much of a woman, you’re too little of a man” to which the audience responded with cheering hoots. For her last song, she performed “Sweet Baby Ray” – a song which she shared was just awarded song of the year by Veer Magazine (based in Norfolk, VA). It has all the double entendres, but with the added benefit of BBQ references. That’s my kind of song.
Tylar Bryant introduced himself as “Tylar with an ‘a’… without the ‘a’, that’s somebody else”. Hailing originally from Texas (with the drawl and everything), Bryant seems poised for commercial success. His single “Stay Wild” has a Nascar reference and he sported a denim jacket with Stay Wild emblazoned on the back. But there’s more to Bryant than meets the eye – he’s not just a run-of-the-mill country bro. His other songs addressed love and yearning like any proper country song should. On “If You Need an Angel”, he sings about a loved one lost to suicide. With talent and charisma to spare, I would expect him to be playing large venues to sold out crowds in no time. BTW, I still can’t get that damn catchy “Stay Wild” song out of my head.
Knowing nothing about Autumn Nicholas going into the show, it was an eye opening discovery to be introduced to her in this setting. Her style is probably the most aligned with my musical tastes, but it’s her live performance that was truly breathtaking. I was blown away by everything about her soulful voice, as well as her vulnerability while singing about stories of loss, pain, acceptance, and hope. I got literal goosebumps from her performance and I would not hesitate to drive many a mile to catch her again. If you’re in the NYC area, you can catch her Friday night (2/18) at Rockwood Music Hall and next Monday, 2/21 at The Bitter End.
I’m grateful I made it out to this mid-week show on one of my busiest of work weeks to take in these amazing performances. While I was hesitant at first, this will go down as one of the most memorable and important shows I’ve attended in recent memory. While my opinion of country music as a whole still remains tarnished, it’s re-assuring to know that Black Opry is actively working to promote equity for artists and fans that have largely been gatekept from enjoying the full privileges of the genre. We share that spirit at Rockin’ The ‘Burbs and embrace the opportunity to bring diverse indie music coverage, as well as increase representation in the (photo) pit.
Keep scrolling to see more photos.
