All tagged Red Clay Strays
Four miles north of Pryor, Oklahoma, along Hwy 69 on the fabled Rocklahoma festival grounds, is the premier Red Dirt, Country and Americana music and camping festival known as Born & Raised. In only its third year of production, the line-up continues to dazzle with top names in the genres. Each year, the dates have moved around a little in the month of September with this year’s festivities running September 13-16. The week provided beautiful weather – dry and mostly sunny the entire time. It was even a bit cooler than I remember from my past attendance which was most welcoming.
Temperatures at or above 100 degrees at the end of July are not unheard of in Fort Smith, but this year was not the best time for it to settle in. The annual Peacemaker Festival welcomes thousands of music fans to the banks of the Arkansas River at a beautiful park just below the Garrison Street Bridge. This was my 3rd time at the festival and I have always found it to be among the best of its size. The music lineup is always imaginative representing several genres and welcoming diverse fan bases. The VIP setup is ideal, offering an unobstructed area directly in front of the stage with a designated area for chairs, as well as upgraded restroom facilities, exclusive bar, and a chance to catch the artists at the backstage gate.
“This is the biggest crowd we’ve ever played in front of in the state of Alabama,” exclaimed Red Clay Strays front man Brandon Coleman. Over 2200 people filled the Halstead Amphitheatre in downtown Fairhope on Saturday May 7th to welcome the Strays back to their LA (that’s “Lower Alabama”) home for the record release concert celebrating Moment of Truth and the first show of their upcoming extensive tour. The band’s debut album is five years in the making and this show was their first ever with a record for sale at the merchandise table.
When the Red Clay Strays posted a question on social media a few months ago asking fans what they would call the type of music the band plays they got a lot of different responses. One that caught my attention was “Southern Soul.” I deplore putting labels on music but I also understand the need to point listeners in a direction so they don’t get lost, and this was an excellent description of what the Strays do best. Centered around the vocals of Brandon Coleman, the band often is laying down a groove or pumping out a cushion for his soulful vocals to ride. Their first full-length record, Moment of Truth (released 23 April), mines that soulful vein deeply. Anticipation for this release has been building for a good while.
The state of Alabama has a rich history of producing musical talent. Hank Williams is a good place to start since he set the standard for every country star since and his son made quite an impression as well. “Bocephus” had quite a run from the late 70s through 80s with a string of hit albums mixing his version of outlaw country with Southern rock and a bit of the blues. The group “Alabama” was the first to make the concept of a self-contained band in country music popular with the mainstream and rose to unprecedented heights in the 80s.
