I showed up at Visualite
just as the doors to the venue were being opened, knowing that I would need some time to tweak my camera settings. As the time grew near for the opening band to begin, I started to get worried; the crowd was sparse at best. Did the unusually cold weather keep everyone in their homes? Hoping for the best, I made my way stage-front to start snapping photos and to enjoy the musical stylings of Justin Robinson & the Mary Annettes. I had never seen or heard the primary instrument being wielded by the front man. Thanks to my friend Stephanie, I now know that it’s called an autoharp, and Mr. Robinson played the instrument both skillfully and beautifully. Accompanying him were two ladies on solemn violins playing mostly separate parts (acting almost as a rhythm and lead guitar) with a drummer who combined a regular drum kit with an electronic drum pad. After one of their dirges and some modest applause, Justin quipped, “Thank you…all seven of you.” Oh no, I thought. Is it still that empty? I turned around for the first time in several minutes and saw that the venue had in fact filled in quite a bit. Justin, thou doth exaggerate too much. Alternately mournful and toe-tapping, their set was pleasing and a good start to the evening. 
Next up was Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside (very catchy band name, I must say). I had just seen them open for The Avett Brothers on New Year’s Eve, and I preferred the small theatre experience at Visualite to the arena experience in Asheville. I really don’t want to compare Sallie Ford to Regina Spektor because it’s too easy, but it’s an unavoidable comparison. Quirky, well-crafted pop songs? Check. Strong, nasal, but ultimately beautiful voice? Check. Cuteness factor? Check. Not to be forgotten, the Sound Outside join Ms. Ford at all the right times in her songs, adding whimsical electric guitar riffs and a steady rhythm section in the form of simple drums and a stand-up bass. The songs I heard were folk/roots music on the surface, but pure pop songs at heart. Expect bigger and better things from this quartet in the future.
By the time Sam Quinn + Japan Ten were ready to take the stage, the 
crowd had finally become a true crowd. The roots music scene in North Carolina is a thriving one, and the gathering on this evening was a virtual who’s who of local musicians and industry folk (pun intended). Sam Quinn introduced himself and the band as P.M. Dawn, which naturally elicited chuckles from all seven people who got the joke; thus began the headlining act. The set list was comprised of numerous The Everybodyfields tunes (Sam Quinn’s previous project with songstress Jill Andrews) mixed nicely with new songs. Their performance was wonderfully intimate. In fact, this show could have been set around a big campfire in the Great Smoky Mountains, and I got the sense that I was a new member in a close-knit group of musical friends. Authenticity is written all over this act; it’s clear that they’ve been writing country/folk songs long before snap-button cowboy shirts were being sold en masse at Urban Outfitters, and they’ll continue to do so long after the fad has passed like so many others. For an encore, the band played an Elton John mash-up of “Crocodile Rock” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” followed by “Aeroplane,” the first track from The Everybodyfields’ record Nothing is OK. Evocative like the gate of your old house (as my wife so poetically put it), this song should have a place of honor in the annals of pop music. The show then came to a close, and much too soon, as I could listen to Sam’s music well into the night. Sam Quinn + Japan Ten are in the process of completing an album, so hopefully it won’t be too long before I’m able to share more thoughts on these guys.
