Columbia filled The Blue Note on Saturday night to see Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors for their first visit to mid-Missouri. Holcomb and company are currently on tour in support of their latest album Medicine which released on January 27.
A blend of folk, bluegrass, and soul known as Humming House began the night. This group of classically-trained musicians is like none other; Bobby Chase sports a fiddle, Josh Wolak a mandolin, Ben Jones an acoustic bass, and lead vocalist Justin Wade Tam an acoustic guitar (and occasionally adds a ukulele). Not to mention, the lone female presence Leslie Rodriguez adds a variety of percussion to the mix. The first album the quintet completed together, Revelries, dropped on March 24.
The 11 song set completely captivated the audience, but no song more than Humming House’s next-to-last tune—a cover of Justin Timberlake’s “My Love.” As impressive as the harmonies and rapping could be, fiddler Chase stole the show with his beat boxing. From the modernized folk tune “Run with Me” to the haunting fiddle strumming in “This Hell Where We Belong,” Humming House possesses the ability to mesmerize listeners. The crooning from Rodriguez and Tam in “I Am a Bird” leaves nothing to be desired. Humming House is sure to be headlining its own tour soon.
Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors opened their set with Medicine’s first track “American Beauty” and transitioned directly into another recent release “Tightrope.” Holcomb informed the crowd the show would be a mix of old and new before jumping into “Good Light,” the title track of the spring 2013 release with the same name.
Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors returned to Medicine with “Avalanche” and “I’ve Got You.” Before the next tune, quite possibly the oldest track of the night, Holcomb explained his chase for wife Ellie which is the inspiration for “Someday” from the album Chasing Someday.
The rest of the evening the band alternated between songs of old and new, playing crowd-favorites “Fire and Dynamite,” “Nothing But Trouble” and “Live Forever.” Medicine tracks included “When It’s All Said and Done,” “You’ll Always Be My Girl,” and “Shine Like Lightning.”
Holcomb informed the crowd of this being the first time playing in Columbia and he loved the beauty of the venue. The Tennessee boy solidified his connection with the crowd on an unplugged solo version of “Tennessee,” a tremendous ode to home and the support from his father when he decided to begin his career as musician. Guitarist Nathan Dugger wowed the crowd with his combination of guitar riffs on ballads on piano (and maybe since he sported a “Missouri is Awesome” trucker hat).
Holcomb granted a crowd request by playing “The Wine We Drink” when he returned to the stage for an encore. The rest of the band joined him for “Here We Go,” the second single from their latest release.
Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors return to Missouri to support NEEDTOBREATHE in only two weeks in Kansas City, giving mid-Missouri natives one more opportunity to get a dose of Medicine.
