My general rule for shooting music is to arrive early so you can get used to the space & lighting and practice shooting earlier bands before the band you actually came for takes the stage. I came to really appreciate this rule at Smith’s this particular night. I went to see Shurman (review upcoming), but once I got there, I realized it was a 3-band bill. I got there early, downed a couple of beers, and got a few shots of the first band. Then I sat down and thought, “If the second band is anything like the first, I’ll just hang at the bar downstairs until Shurman.”

Jackson County Line was the second band, and from their first chord, I turned around, polished off my drink, took my camera back out, and started shooting. From the array of instruments they had--including cello, trumpet, mandolin--I didn’t know if they’d pump out some Dave Matthews-esque jams or bluegrass/classical fusion. Much to my satisfaction, what I heard was a nicely tuned set of mellow Americana, right up my alley.

What impressed me, though, is that every piece in the band was heard, but none commandeered  my ear canal. And dammit, that’s the way a band should be. I hate listening to an average band with an average singer with an absolutely kick-ass guitar player who solos at every bridge, just to keep the otherwise yawning crowd interested. Or an awesome, say, fiddler in a band that plays over every one of his/her notes. JCL, though, is just a seamless, mesmerizing blend of musicality which is easily accomplished in a studio, but they did it live without missing a note.

Immediately after their set, which included a much kick-ass version of Neil Young’s “Ohio,” I bought their cd (Actually, since the first band handed out their cds for free, I almost walked off with one of JCL’s, but one of Kevin’s friends pointed to a very faint piece of paper on the wall listing the price. No harm, no foul!)  Nearly 2 months later, it’s the only cd in my car’s 6-cd changer, which is saying a lot. (Whenever I remember to take it out, I’ll burn it to my Ipod and stack it in with the rest of my “Mellow Driving” playlist, the one that lowers my blood pressure during my daily commute to Atlanta.) If their cd was vinyl, by now my record needle would have gouged a hole all the way through just from “Let Me Ride,” “Drown,” and the title track “Jackson County Line.” I could go on and on about how the melodies stick with me long after I’ve gotten out of my car, but just go to their website and listen to the demos yourself.  Then you’ll be like me and bug them on when the next cd is coming out...which is sometime in January, I think. Lookout for it.

jacksoncountyline.com