As has become custom, Duke made plans for Brittany and me one early morning on the way to school. This week, Brittany was the timely caller winning us tickets to Headliners for Hard Working Americans. The all-star group was put together by Todd Snider, and includes names like Dave Schools (of Widespread Panic), Neal Casal on guitar, Chad Staehly and Duane Trucks (who has family ties in The Allman Brothers Band and Tedeschi Trucks Band). WFPK had obviously been playing their music in preparation, and I feel like I heard David Dye talk about them on World Café, but other than that, one could say this is a little out of our typical realm.
We arrived at Headliners and were recognized by the security guard and bartender – great way to start our evening. Taking a look at the crowd, the room was pretty full, particularly for a Sunday evening. We might have brought down the average age of the crowd by a couple of years, but that makes sense considering the highly respected men in HWA are from an era slightly earlier than us.
As they started to play, almost all attention (there seemed to be many reunions between old friends occurring at this show) was turned to the stage. Their songs were based on each individual’s talents, allowing them to be showcased and the lyrics matched the band’s name, speaking of the everyday person. When Schools, Casal, Staehly or Trucks had any sort of solo action, Snider would step off to the side of the stage, giving the focus solely to them, and would enjoy the music just like the rest of the crowd. I found this to be really interesting and it was a testament to the reason he started the group – to make some good music.
-Aubrey
Live Music Louisville 