I remember a promoter at a radio station in Knoxville stating that in order to make it as band, “75% of if it is just keeping it together.” After watching the regional music scene for a number of years this statement continues to ring true because most bands and artists rarely keep the faith and before you know it, all their enthusiasm and dreams are lost in the background of breakups, families and the day job only to start all over again and again.
Like natural evolution, every once in an artist or band keeps the faith and all of a sudden they begin to blossom. That’s certainly true for Jill Andrews and Sam Quinn with The everybodyfields. After more than 4 years of playing their seductive original music rich with angelic harmonies and poetic lyrics in “shopping malls to public libraries,” this acoustic songwriting duo are deservingly gaining the critical attention they deserve from all over the state. After the release of their third recording “Nothing is OK” The everybodyfields have a new band, an upcoming tour out west and this past weekend, they performed before a standing room only audience for Bristol Rhythm and Roots monthly concert performances.
I met Carson Waugh a little early and we had a couple of beers at the State Line Bar and Grill before we braved the cold weather and crossed State Street to head up to the new Bristol Public Library. Carson will begin working with our group at GoTriCities as a photographer and loves hanging out at original performances like this. We walked across the street to the new Bristol Public Library which hosts a monthly concert series for the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion as they present several artists throughout the year who will perform at this year’s 8th annual outdoor music festival. We had a hard time finding the entrance to this new complex and after walking around the building, we finally found the entrance which opened into a warm corridor of golden lights and a gallery of regional paintings on the wall. Tickets were only $10 for this show and plenty of fans were waiting in the hall as Leah Ross and other organizers were selling tickets.
I was excited to hear the band and have developed a special interest in this group for a number of years. Jill has such a tender sweet voice from the mountains and Sam has been described as having a style as original as Jimmy Rogers. They are both young minstrels and mix a warm humility and homespun melancholy into their “happy songs” that continue to garner fans and glowing reviews from critics throughout the Southeast.
Our staff with GoTriCities were on hand to conduct a pre-show video interview and Jared and Vanessa Bentley were there just inside the doorway talking with sound man Keith Smith with EKS Sound. Keith always appears amid the best artists in the area and he was setting up the final details with the sound system in the auditorium as Matthew Carroll, our new videographer arrived to setup the shoot.
Sam Quinn stands out in any crowd. He’s tall, lanky and has the biggest sideburns of anyone in the music business. He wore a thick scarf and a loose brown coat and his dark black hair was disheveled like he just got up from a week of travels. Last year, I remember talking to him as he walked the streets of downtown Bristol selling their second CD from a shoe box and I got some great pictures as they performed in the night air on Saturday night. We spoke a moment and agreed to sit down for a few minutes for an interview just before the show and they were off to freshen up.
Carson grabbed our Nikon and began to walk around grabbing still images and we found a security guard to open the conference room so we could setup our lights, the camera and wrestle a few chairs into a make-shift interview setting.
It wasn’t long and just about eight minutes before the scheduled 7.30 show time that Jill and Sam came rushing in from the cold winter night into the front corridor of the Bristol Library and settled into the conference room. Jared began the interview without hesitation and Matthew began weaving in front of the trio with his new High-Def camera. As usual, the pair were articulate, soft-spoken and humble as they described their long 4-year history together, their love of the music and the new band which will take them west this year. I sat quietly in the back and watched everyone do their work and enjoyed each moment of the interview which we now have on You Tube.
After the interview, Jill and Sam rushed through the crowd of fans and friends asking each other what song they wanted to start with. The auditorium had no seats left and I snaked my way around the wall up front with the Canon video camera and enjoyed their first set as The everybodyfields sang their enchanting music adorned with rich melodic harmonies – the signature of Jill and Sam. Jill has a sublime voice that carries well above Sam’s thin style which is truly Dylanesque. Together, they are blessed with an expression all their own. When you hear The everybodyfields, despite their name, that really sound like nothing else.
Sam and Jill are both subtle with their interaction with the audience from the stage. There’s no screaming, no rude tunings or aloof presence, but more like a spiritual trance that they culture from each verse. They were into their third song ‘Birthday’ when the lights were abruptly switching on and off and we weren’t sure if someone accidently hit the light switch or not, but they seemed to be Ok with the interuption and made light of the confusion. Sam and Jill switched out from playing a guitar and bass which had a fresh rose in the stock of the instruments neck. Together with their steel guitarist (Tom Pryor) and piano player (Josh Oliver), their music floats in a soundscape of resolute tenderness and as Matthew said, he was compelled to stay for the entire show and cry with them all along the way.
This should be a great year for The everybodyfields and when they return to Bristol in September for the Rhythm and Roots Reunion, I’m certain they will have volumes of critical acclaim for the band and we wish them well on their new journey and like a fine season of wine from a local vineyard, I’ll look forward to sharing a new glass with them upon their return.