It was only this past June when Toronto seven-piece band Bywater Call brought their stunning brand of southern soul and blues music to Live at Hub City Vinyl – one of the coolest new dedicated music venues in the region. Opening their doors for business just a little over a year ago (I can state proudly that I was there for the venue’s first public show), this ‘no expense spared’ facility has quickly become a crown jewel for live music within the Hagerstown community and Western MD region.
Upon learning that Bywater Call had been invited to return for a second performance this year, tickets were quickly purchased – knowing the potency of this band as phenomenal live musicians, and the suitability of the room for their brand of music. Arriving at the venue early to snag my (fave) seat in the room, I immediately noticed some slight adjustments to the stage from the band’s previous visit – the horn section now set up on the far side adjacent to the keyboards, while the lead guitar now resided in the larger space on my side of the stage area.
As the room filled with folks eager for some entertainment, and showtime rolled around, the band received a raucous welcome from those in attendance – and it was wonderful to see those seven familiar faces on stage once more: Meghan Parnell (vocals/percussion), Dave Barnes (guitar), John Kervin (keyboards/vocals), Stephen Dyte (trumpet/percussion), Julian Nalli (saxophone/percussion), Mike Meusel (bass/vocals), and Bruce McCarthy (drums). And with a pair of sets at their disposal, Bywater Call performed music from all three of their studio albums, along with a few covers, during their two hours of stage time.
With a natural emphasis on new music from their recent “Shepherd” album throughout the evening, Bywater Call launched immediately into “For All We Know,” and demonstrated their passion for having fun onstage from the offset, building up the tempo into a strong marching rhythm as Meg’s vocal prowess and Dave’s understated slide guitar action worked harmoniously together. “How’s everybody doing tonight,” Meg would ask just a couple of tunes into the first set. “It’s nice to be back, thanks for being here.” “Thank you for coming back,” came a response from behind me. “Oh, well thank you for coming back. Thank you for having us back. It’s lovely to be here, absolutely,” Meghan replied, before the band progressed into a stunning rendition of “Remain,” the powerful blues ballad and title track from their second album.
In theory, while loose and tight are poles apart on the adjectives scale, when it comes to a live performance from Bywater Call, both are one and the same – the band being incredibly tight as a cohesive collective, yet simultaneously loose up there on stage, and having a ton of outright fun in the process. Go ahead and try to define this band with adjectives all night long, but Bywater Call are a solid jam-band – plain and simple – and like all good jam-bands out there, they mix things up constantly so that no two experiences are the same.
One example was prior to the performance of “Arizona,” an earlier cut from their debut album, the band incorporated a lengthy drum and guitar trade-off between Bruce and Dave as a prelude, with Stephen and Julian gradually adding horns to further build the intensity; Mike and Julian adding their talents to maintain the rhythm – so much was going on sonically before Meg hopped back on-stage to provide the vocals.
Ultimately, everybody on stage had time in the spotlight – John’s lengthy keyboard solo to lead into “Sign of Peace,” Mike’s bass solo prior to a unique cover of “The Weight,” and Meg going sans microphone (as if she needs a mic) to lead off “Colours.” Bruce would add a drum clinic during the encore – trust me, this was by far not at all a repeat performance of what they brought to the venue just a few months ago. Beyond the set list (itself drafted in real time moments before each set), nothing was predetermined – this was as unscripted and as raw an experience that you’ll encounter on any given night.
Pausing to catch their breath during the second set, Meg would address the room once more. “This is our – as a band – our one hundred and thirtieth gig of the year, which is crazy,” she announced. “It’s also the first show of the second year of [Live at] Hub City Vinyl, so congratulations to everyone here, they’re doing an amazing job. We so much appreciate being back here to play for you guys.” And prior to wrapping up their second set, Meg would make one final address. “This is such a special place. We’ve got one more song for you, one more…” “It’ll last for an hour,” came a friendly heckle from the back of the room. “If we played a song that went for an hour, would you actually sit here through it,” Meg responded in jest, receiving an outburst of laughter and plenty of positive audience response in the process. Once again, Bywater Call won over everybody in the room – all that’s left now is for another invite back to Western MD…
Set List:
- For All We Know
- Falls Away
- I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You) (Aretha Franklin cover)
- Arizona
- Remain
- Sign Of Peace
- Left Behind
- Sweet Maria
- Turn It Around
- Bring Me Down
- The Weight (The Band cover)
- Holler / Kashmir (Led Zeppelin cover)
- Colours
- Everybody Knows
Encore:
- (Unknown Title)
The British guy that crossed the ocean and crash landed in central Pennsylvania (to quote Greg Keelor, “And I wonder what am I doing here?”). As the youngest of four siblings, exposure to music from a very early age nurtured my passion and appreciation for many musical genres. Continuing to discover some amazingly diverse and talented musicians based in Canada, I gravitate to live music experiences and remain devoted to spreading the word about such a vibrant music scene.
