Last weekend I went to the “Ohio River Throwdown” concert. Multiple bands on three stages over the course of almost 12 hours. Most of the bands had a roots/blues/Americana vibe to them, with a couple of brass bands thrown in for good measure.

throwdown

 

In the past I wasn’t a fan of the multi-stage format, as I felt it forced you to make “split the baby” decisions about which bands to see and which to skip. But now I’m warming up to the format, as it allows you to try a sampler platter of music from bands you may not have seen before. I went down thinking I’d skip Trombone Shorty in favor of Justin Townes Earle, as I’m much more familiar with JTE’s catalog, and not necessarily a brass band/horns kinda guy. But I went over to check out Trombone Shorty and wound up staying for his entire set because the energy level was so good. Those N’awlins folks really know how to party.

The highlight was Jason Isbell and his band – they’ve been touring a ton and sound stellar. I also really enjoyed the sets from Hurray For The Riff Raff, American Aquarium and Johnnyswim.