By Jeff Kollath

After walking into the Majestic Theater on Saturday night, I felt like asking the bartender if I was in the right place – there were a grand total of 8 of us in the room until about 10 minutes before the posted show time. With the Final Four, the Easter holiday, and Spring Break in full swing, downtown itself was pretty dead, so it wasn’t too much of a surprise that only 40 of us were in attendance for the final show of the Dear Companion tour. Spreading the word about mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining, Daniel Martin Moore and Ben Sollee, native Kentuckians both, crafted a beautifully written and produced (thank you Yim Yames) album that is sure to be on a number of ‘Best Of’ lists at the end of the year. Touching on folk, bluegrass, jazz, and blues, this music is pure Americana, refining the known and existing and creating something new and unique. What stands out on the record does moreso live - Moore and Sollee’s harmonies, Sollee’s virtuoso cello-playing, the intimacy and passion the songs and their message – but so much more comes to light when you are able to see the process and the interplay between musicians.

The Majestic turned into Madison’s largest living room on Saturday night, as the very small, but lively and appreciative, crowd chatted with the band, asked questions about the songs, and loudly stomped their feet when encore time came around. A rousing version of “Something, Somewhere, Somehow” kicked things off, followed shortly thereafter by Ben Sollee’s ode to his son, “Only A Song,” a hopeful song about sharing the beauty of the land before we lose it all. After Moore’s “The Old Measure,” drummer Dan Dorff left his kit and walked to center stage to lend some percussive foot stomping to the mix, bringing a resounding cheer from the crowd. Later, Moore literally stepped to the fore, unplugging his guitar and leaving the mic behind as he sat on the edge of the stage and serenaded the crowd with a heartfelt version of “Flyrock Blues.” While everyone has something to worry about wherever they may live, no one should have to worry about giant pieces of mountaintop crashing down into their homes from a gigantic TNT explosion.

Sollee, using a borrowed cello picked up Saturday afternoon from a local musician (he broke two cellos on the tour), tore loose with a lengthy solo intro to “It’s Not Impossible,” playing with both the bow and his fingers. Fiddle player Cheyenne Marie Mize and Sollee’s harmonies soared through the room, riding on the crest of the beautiful sounds coming from their instruments. Mize sang, er, destroyed two songs, Nina Simone’s “In the Dark” and “Among the Gold, ” which she recorded with Bonnie “Prince” Billy. Her voice is one that we will be hearing a lot from in the future. The set closed out with the title track, which, for my money, is the song of the year so far, and “Jubilee,” a foot stomping, accapella, hambone-rich, whistle-fest reminiscent of the rural music and culture of the people who are most affected by this type of mining. After a brief standing ovation, the band came back for two more, and left the stage through the crowd, shaking hands and accepting compliments for a fine, fine show. For a record that can be so quiet and understated, the live show brought a sense of urgency and anger to so many of these songs. Like the rocky hills and deep hollers of Eastern Kentucky, there is a ragged beauty to this music when performed live, the veil of production lifted, which makes the sound all the more engaging and true.

Set List: Something, Somewhere, Somehow / My Wealth Comes to Me / Needn’t Say A Thing / Only A Song / The Old Measure / Bury Me With My Car / In the Dark / That’ll Be the Plan / Try / Flyock Blues / It’s Not Impossible / Sweet Marie / Dear Companion / Jubilee / Among the Gold / ?

Previously: If I Wounded You, I’m Sorry. It Happens All The Time.
Daytrotter: Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore (3/4/10)

MP3: Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore – “Something, Somewhere, Sometime”
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Buy: Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin – “Dear Companion”