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UID:1770@mariettaohio.org
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241115T200000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241115T220000
DTSTAMP:20240816T132813Z
URL:https://mariettaohio.org/events/blackberry-smoke/
SUMMARY:Blackberry Smoke
DESCRIPTION:When Charlie Starr started writing the songs that would become 
 Blackberry Smoke’s new album\, Be Right Here\, the first tune the vocali
 st/lead guitarist worked up was “Dig A Hole.” Formed by an old guitar 
 riff married with a Wurlitzer chorus riff written by keyboardist Brandon S
 till\, the swampy psychedelic-rock song is a powerful statement about choo
 sing your path in life—whether you want to give into temptation or walk 
 a more righteous road.\n\n“In life\, we all are faced with choices\,” 
 Starr says. “Are we going to do good\, or are we going to do bad? Are we
  going to love\, or are we going to hate? We have a finite amount of time\
 , each of us on this Earth. So probably want to make the best out of it in
 stead of wasting time.”\n\n“Dig A Hole” is the lead track on Be Righ
 t Here and sets the tone for another expansive set of rock ‘n’ roll fr
 om Blackberry Smoke. As always\, the Georgia-based band—Starr\, Still\, 
 guitarist/vocalist Paul Jackson\, bassist/vocalist Richard Turner and drum
 mer Brit Turner—draw inspiration from Southern rock\, blues-leaning clas
 sic rock and rootsy vintage country. But on Be Right Here\, Blackberry Smo
 ke sound even more self-assured\, from the strength of their songwriting t
 o their musical execution.\n\nOver the past two decades\, Blackberry Smoke
  has developed this confidence and amassed a loyal fanbase\, leading their
  last five full-length albums to achieve great chart success\, including 2
 021’s You Hear Georgia\, which reached #1 on Billboard’s Americana/Fol
 k Albums chart.\n\nThe band wrote and recorded You Hear Georgia during the
  most intense periods of the pandemic but held off on releasing it until t
 hey could go tour again. Starr says Blackberry Smoke took the same deliber
 ate approach with Be Right Here\, which was recorded in late 2022 and earl
 y 2023\, around the same time drummer Brit Turner was diagnosed with a typ
 e of brain tumor known as Glioblastoma. “We didn’t feel a whole lot of
  pressure to go in and make this one quickly\,” Starr shares.\n\nWorking
  once again with Grammy-Award winning producer Dave Cobb\, Blackberry Smok
 e has crafted music that’s raw and immediate-sounding. They tracked the 
 album live in the same space\; an approach Cobb also prefers as it lends i
 tself to a looser vibe. “I remember different times I would say\, ‘I t
 hink we should redo that\,’ and he’s like\, ‘No\, leave it that way.
  That way it’s magical\,” Starr remembers. “It’s just as natural a
 nd real as possible.”\n\nLocation also factored into Be Right Here’s s
 ound as they recorded most of the album at Nashville’s beloved RCA Studi
 o A\, and then polished it off in Cobb’s studio in Savannah\, Georgia. 
 “It’s down in the low country and beautiful\,” Starr says of the spa
 ce\, called Georgia Mae. “This album has a swagger to it\, a deep in the
  pocket kind of feel. Those surroundings helped give the record that feel.
 ”\n\nBe Right Here’s lyrics are particularly literary\, full of vivid 
 and relatable characters that ensure the songs often resemble rich short s
 tories. For example\, “Whatcha Know Good\,” a co-write with Brent Cobb
 \, is a “feel-good song” driven by an amiable narrator who gets along 
 with everybody and dislikes negativity. “There’s plenty of bad news wh
 en you turn on the television\,” Starr says. “The dude in this song\, 
 he doesn’t want to hear it anymore. He wants to go to fishing and talk a
 bout good news. We were giggling the whole time because we know that guy. 
 Maybe we are that guy.”\n\nA laid-back\, Stones-like guitar lick from fo
 rmer Buckcherry guitarist Keith Nelson inspired “Like It Was Yesterday\,
 ” helping Starr conjure another very specific character: an earnest youn
 g guy who doesn’t have much life experience\, but knows what he likes an
 d is grateful for good times. “I picture him laying on the hood of his c
 ar with his girl\, staring up at the moon and the stars\,” Starr says. 
 “It’s the idea of holding onto that fleeting moment\, because it can s
 lip away from you.”\n\nOther Be Right Here highlights include “Azalea
 ” and “Little Bit Crazy\,” both co-written with Starr’s frequent s
 ongwriting collaborator Travis Meadows. The latter song\, which begins wit
 h a chorus of soulful gospel singers before blooming into a languid Southe
 rn rocker\, features a narrator who’s embroiled in a relationship that
 ’s fun\, but not necessarily healthy.\n\nMeanwhile\, the lovely\, elegia
 c folk ballad “Azalea” is centered on someone who seems emotionally be
 reft and spiritually lost\, but is working hard to find their way home. 
 “It’s a heavy song. It’s not a happy song\, per se\,” Starr says. 
 However\, “Azalea” has a distinct streak of optimism near the end\, wh
 ich Starr says is intentional: “There’s some hope in there\, too. It c
 omes with both Travis and I being fathers. Hold on to your kids as tight a
 s you can without smothering them.”\n\nThe delicate balance of familial 
 protection also permeates the easygoing “Other Side of the Light\,” a 
 co-write with Levi Lowrey. Written from the perspective of a young boy on 
 an obstacle-filled road trip\, the tune stresses that he’ll find shelter
  and safety with his mom. In contrast\, the stomping “Hammer and the Nai
 l\,” which Starr wrote with Nelson\, takes another approach to family ti
 es—in this case\, a son who needs to decide if he’s going to give into
  his wild side and take after his rebellious father. Fittingly\, lively ac
 oustic guitar gives way to an explosive chorus with freewheeling bar-blues
  piano and raucous electric riffs.\n\nBe Right Here ends on a confident no
 te\, the organ-driven power ballad\, “Barefoot Angel.” Starr says he d
 oesn’t write many love songs\, but made an exception here. “It’s eit
 her me singing about my wife or some guy singing about his wife that’s i
 n the same situation\, which is\, I wouldn’t be able to do anything with
 out her. When I’m worried and feeling bad\, she makes it better.”\nFor
  Blackberry Smoke\, embracing the light and finding the silver lining are 
 once again at the heart of what they do best.
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://mariettaohio.org/wp-content/uploads/2024
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CATEGORIES:Arts & Entertainment,Events,Music
LOCATION:Peoples Bank Theatre\, 222 Putnam St\, Marietta\, Ohio\, 45750\, U
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