The week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve is generally a slow one for touring musicians, but some choose to make a go of it and squeeze in a handful of final gigs. Brennen Leigh released her latest album Ain’t Through Honky Tonkin’ Yet back in June, and she’s still out promoting it with a short run of shows on the West Coast. Originally from North Dakota, Leigh spent many years in Austin before ending up in Nashville. All of these experiences have contributed to her being steeped in country music and someone who can switch gears between so many different kinds of country. At her show at Mississippi Studios in Portland, Oregon on Friday, December 29th, Leigh shared her versatility and deep love of country music with the audience.
Before Leigh took the stage, the audience was treated to a set from local artist by way of Texas and Colorado, Laith. Somewhere in the musical cosmics between Conor Oberst and Blaze Foley, Laith made his way through a set of road songs showcasing his unique style of country-folk. With Erik Clampitt adding a healthy dose of twang on pedal steel, Laith leaned into his impressive release from earlier this year, Lightning, serenading the audience with his timeless tunes.
Brennen Leigh is no stranger to playing with big bands, but for this short tour she is joined by Ashleigh Caudill on standup bass and Rebecca Patek on fiddle to make for a more stripped-down sound. With Leigh decked out in her classy western attire, the trio took the stage and got right down to business with the twinkly nostalgic tune “The John Deere H” complete with a solid flat-picked guitar solo. The charming and jazzy “Analog” was an early highlight with its clever lyrics, warm fiddle, and thumping bass. Leigh spoke fondly and humorously about her North Dakota roots before playing “Funeral on the Prairie,” a song in the vein of classic cowboy and bluegrass ballads. She would stay with this theme for “Don’t You Know I’m From Here,” a heartfelt reflection on growing up and not recognizing your town that shined with gorgeous three-part harmonies.
Leigh’s talent is to be a walking encyclopedia for pretty much every type of country music, and then offer her own translations of each type with a modern lyrical touch. She would nod to her love of Bob Wills and Western Swing with “Tommy Duncan’s Voice Was Booze,” while “Tell Him I’m Dead” was a dark yet playful ode to the act of ghosting. Elsewhere, she would lean into more of a classic country sound with the passionate “Wild Woman of the West.” “The Red Flags You Were Waving” felt like it could have been sung by Loretta Lynn and the bouncy trucker tune “Carole with an E” captured her loose interpretation of dieselbilly.
Throughout the performance, Leigh regaled the audience with tales of her life as a songwriter and her deep love for country music. She backed it up with lyrical and vocal prowess as she moved into the final handful of songs, with the cautionary cheatin’ tale “Mississippi Rendezvous” and the proper barroom anthem “I Ain’t Through Honky Tonkin’ Yet.” She would even take requests from the audience as she helped them nurse that holiday hangover with the hilarious “Merry Christmas Asshole” and the down-home bluegrass tune “Blue Eyed Dog.” Her talent for switching between so many different sounds and styles while remaining faithful to all of them was on display all night, reminding the audience that Leigh’s music is as much for the purists as it is for the country-curious.
