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Jon Byrd + Mark Huff

Venue: Cafe D'Art
Town: Formby
Date: 14/10/13
Website: http://www.jonbyrd.com/

For those of us who are unable to pop over to Nashville to see our favourite singers, Grateful Fred does the next best thing. He bring them to us. Tonight, for those of us who were lucky enough to get our hands on one of the strictly limited number of tickets, we were treated to a superb, exclusive show by two of Nashville's finest, Mark Huff and, headlining, Jon Byrd. Not only that but the evening took place in the delightfully intimate surroundings of the Cafe D'Art, which, as its name suggests, is an art gallery as well as a cafe/bar.

Beginning the evening we had Mark Huff, who lives in Nashville but who falls into the "Greenwich Village" school of songwriting. In other words, his reference points are Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen [with maybe a dash of Loudon Wainwright's wry humour ], rather than Hank Williams/ Merle Haggard. It's not just that he plays guitar and harmonica a la Bob, it's also the impressionistic lyrics of his songs like "Talking Insomnia Blues", "Sadly Beautiful" and "Only Birds Are Free"[which he wrote in a dream]. As well as his own original songs, Mark also gave a couple of excellent Dylan covers with "Girl From The North Country" and a rousing "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" which featured Jon Byrd on lead guitar. Mark was clearly enjoying himself on his fourth visit to the UK and was delighted that the venue had Peroni on draught.

If Mark Huff represents the "East Coast" style of songwriting, Jon Byrd is living proof that real Country Music [as opposed to the commercial quasi- pop stuff] is still alive in Nashville. Jon is, quite simply, the real deal. Originally from Alabama, Jon made his name as a highly accomplished guitarist/sideman before relocating to Nashville in 2001 in order to pursue a career as a songwriter. With a distinctive voice which lies somewhere in between Willie Nelson and Gram Parsons [if you can imagine that], Jon released his debut album "Byrd's Auto Parts" in 2004 and followed it up in 2011 with the critically-acclaimed "Down At The Well Of Wishes".

Jon's performance tonight showed what a class act he is, as singer, songwriter and guitarist. His songs, such as "In A Chest Of Skin And Bone", "Silent Night"[which was covered by top Nashville duo Eric Brace and Peter Cooper on their "Master Sessions" album] and the superb "Alabama Asphalt" [which references his grandfather who was a railroad man in Southern Alabama] demonstrate his ability to write songs of great integrity and sincerity.

Jon paid tribute to his friend and fellow songwriter Buck Jones, who in 2007, was killed by a drunk driver whilst he and Jon were on the road together, by playing Buck's "Times They Are Sure Tough These Days". Jon also dedicated his own song "A Fond Farewell" to Buck, as it was his favourite song of Jon's.

Jon also paid tribute to another Jones, George, who died in April this year, by singing "Where Grass Won't Grow".

Jon eloquently portrays the life of a travelling musician in his lovely "Easy To Be Free", which begins with "I never put no roots down, couldn't wait to slip away". From his debut album came "Jacknife", which is a classic country song about "the things my Momma used to say". Needless to say, it's his mother's favourite song !

It was a privilege to witness this superb performance from Jon Byrd, who represents the heart and soul of Country Music. Thanks are due to Grateful Fred for allowing us the opportunity to see such talented performers on our own doorstep.

Peter Cowley