Concert Review: Molly Tuttle & Dee White – Tuning Fork, October 13, 2019

0

Molly Tuttle headlined at Tuning Fork last night alongside Dee White, Benjo Markus, and Dave Khan, with the entire lineup delivering over three hours of sweet Southern Country and Bluegrass as part of the Southern Fork Americana Fest 2019.

First up was Dave Khan, who you’d easily be convinced was a born-and-bred Southern Country singer until he spoke between songs. Moving between guitar, mandolin, and violin through his set, Khan performed a range of covers with such immense ease they could very well have been his own – all tied together with a rich and soulful voice that hinted at a Blues-Country Elliott Smith.

A stunning, rapid-picking mandolin instrumental followed a cover of Call Letter Blues, before Khan closed with a violin performance of Two Sisters and The Gambler on guitar. Although a short set at just 20 minutes, he was a delightful addition to the lineup, and set the tone perfectly for the three hours that followed.

Taking to the stage shortly after Khan, Dee White, accompanied by session musician Benjo Markus, performed a 14-song set which showcased the Alabamian musician’s immense vocal range and deeply ingrained love of Country. It was only after his set that I discovered he was in his early-20s, and had performed with a less-than-ideal vocal capacity.

I say ‘after his set’, because this breathtaking performance gave absolutely zero indication the musician’s voice was anything less than perfect; from the warm depth of Wherever You Go to sustained high notes of Crazy Man, White displayed a command of his vocal range that a musician twice his age would sell their soul for in a heartbeat.

To describe each number in detail would leave me empty of complimentary adjectives – if you can’t take my word for it, simply spend a few seconds diving into Bucket of Bolts, Under Your Skin, or Ol’ Muddy River from his album, Southern Gentleman. Performing with Benjo Markus, the duo blended complementary guitars with honey-sweet harmonising throughout their hour-long set, to an audience that was almost entirely silent throughout not due to boredom but sheer unavoidable admiration.

Lyrically, White’s set was a goldmine of entwined beauty and pain, with Rose of Alabam ‘Cause forbidden fruit tastes sweetest when it comes disguised as love’ and Oh No ‘He’s holding her and touching her / The way I used to do / Oh no, I can’t believe it’s true’ elevated through the raw emotion woven throughout his performance. White’s set was filled with this aching lament for love and lost intimacy, yet all delivered through a genuinely sincere perspective.

After another brief intermission, Molly Tuttle appeared on stage to a round of eager applause and cheers, immediately dropping into the first of many mesmerising numbers with Save This Heart. Tuttle is well-known for her immense talent on the guitar, and her set was filled with the one-of-a-kind picking mastery much of the audience had come to see.

Performing solo on stage, you’d be forgiven for thinking this was the work of multiple musicians, with a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s White Freightliner Blues displaying a speed and precision in her picking that would have you convinced she was gifted with an additional arm or 20 extra fingers. The real marvel of this performance wasn’t just her jaw-dropping skill as a guitarist, but the combined control of her voice against it – the pacing and power of her vocals throughout her set was equally flawless.

Between songs, Tuttle spoke to the crowd with a great sense of ease, recounting stories about adding a verse to an unfinished Jewel song and making it her own (Million Miles), life on the road (Friend And a Friend), convincing her highschool friends to dance for their P.E class (Zero), the nostalgia of power-cuts in a time when it meant bonding with your family (Light Came In), and the early-career self-doubt in songwriting (Good Enough).

These moments showed Tuttle as more than just a performer, but a genuine connector with the crowd, balancing the raw power of her musical talent with a frank honesty and joyful vulnerability that explains her talent as a songwriter. The High Road showcased Tuttle’s ability to balance a stunning contrast of gentle guitar with her powerful voice, which was further cemented with one of her closing numbers, Rain and Snow, where both the depth and clarity of her voice had me hastily writing ‘UNBELIEVABLE’ and underlining it three times.

An encore saw White and Markus join Tuttle on stage, where the trio performed The Band’s Up On Cripple Creek before closing with a Hank Williams cover which White has just released as a single, the slow and soulful Weary Blues From Waitin’.

As just one part of the Southern Fork Americana Fest 2019, this lineup was one not to be missed, though with three more shows on October 18, 19, and 20, there will no doubt be more jaw-dropping international talent on show in the coming week. For those who did miss out on last night, however, you’ll be happy to know that both Tuttle and White expressed their desire to return to New Zealand, and you can only hope they will perform in the same intimate and approachable setting as they did this year.

~Oxford Lamoureaux

Click on any image to view a full gallery from Rachel Webb Photography

Molly Tuttle

Dee White

Dave Khan Setlist

Clay Pigeons – (Blaze Foley cover)
I Feel Like Hank Williams Tonight – (Jerry Jeff Walker cover)
Call Letter Blues – (Bob Dylan cover)
Mandolin Instrumental
Two Sisters – (Tom Waits cover)
The Gambler – (Kenny Rogers cover)

Dee White with Benjo Markus Setlist
Sugar
Wherever You Go
Crazy Man
Bucket of Bolts
Under Your Skin
Ol’ Muddy River
Amanda – (Don Williams / Waylon Jennings cover)
Road That Goes Both Ways
Tell The World I Do
Oh No
I Never Go Around Mirrors – (Lefty Frizzell cover)
Rose Of Alabam
Blue Moon of Kentucky – (Blue Grass Boys cover)
In The Garden – (C. Austin Miles)

Molly Tuttle Setlist
 
Save This Heart
Sit Back and Watch It Roll
Friend And A Friend
Million Miles
Make My Mind Up
Zero (Yeah Yeah Yeahs cover)
Sleepwalking
Messed With My Mind
White Freightliner Blues – (Townes Van Zandt cover)
The High Road
Don’t Let Go
Light Came In (Power Went Out)
Rain and Snow
Good Enough
Take The Journey

Molly Tuttle Encore (with Dee White & Benjo Markus)
 
Up On Cripple Creek – (The Band cover)
Weary Blues From Waitin’ (Hank Williams cover)

Oxford Lamoureaux
Latest posts by Oxford Lamoureaux (see all)