Nashville – Ask the average listener to close their eyes and visualize rock and roll and the image will be similar for most folks; vintage Gibson and Fender axes plugged into humming tube amps, long hair and scruffy beards, guitar solos with crunch distortion, and lyrical stories of women and whiskey to tie it all together. With just a quick glance, it’s easy to see how Andrew Leahey and the Homestead embodies this iconic image of rock and roll.
Though Andrew lists Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen as some of his biggest influences, he’s not a knockoff of those guys. Andrew has guitar chops, a mellow tenor voice (he trained at Juilliard), and an Americana storyteller’s approach to writing lyrics. Matched by the Homestead, a tight group featuring Miles Price on lead guitar, Samantha Joelle on bass and Tom Reschke on drums, the band’s sound quickly filled The Basement (an actual basement underneath Grimey’s, one of the most famous record stores in Nashville) with blissful roots rock.
Fresh off a sold-out show the previous night at the world-renowned Bluebird Café, Leahey and company were flying high as they entered their second straight Monday night set at the Basement. After smashing through the opening number, Andrew quickly introduced a tune off the forthcoming record titled “Shivers and Shakes.” Then came “Shot,” an anecdotal song Leahey claimed was written about the time his wife locked him out of the house. He assured the audience that everything was all right now in his marriage. “Silver Lining” and “The Good Life,” two more tracks off the newly recorded album, both radiating with positive vibes, followed. “The Good Life” was interrupted by a sudden malfunction in Andrew’s guitar, but his backing smoothly brought it back to the chorus without skipping a note, as if it were completely rehearsed. “Better Medicine,” another new song, came next and was trailed by “Penitentiary Guys,” a track from the group’s self-titled 2011 release. “Penitentiary Guys” was one of the first songs Andrew wrote for the band and is inspired by the life and times of Bonnie and Clyde, written from Clyde’s point of view. “10 Years Ago,” the last fresh cut of the evening, was followed by the closer “Who Wants and Easy Love,” a 7-minute ballad from the band’s last release, Summer Sleeves.
The most advantageous thing about being a band based in Nashville is that there is no shortage of talent. The Homestead is to Andrew Leahey what The E Street Band is to Bruce Springsteen. First off, they are tight. Unbelievably so. Perhaps it has something to do with the record they’ve been dissecting in the studio for the last month, but this band had some serious soul connection. Bassist Joelle and drummer Reschke weren’t just in the pocket, they were an entire pair of well-worn jeans that fit just right. Reschke is as versatile as they come, mixing crashing rock with flares of soul, bossa nova, jazz etc. He was due to leave the next morning for some shows in Europe with another group. It’s no wonder he is in demand. Guitarist Miles Price uses a warm and vintage tone to elevate his lead playing. Armed with a blond telecaster, Price’s playing is not flashy or over the top. There are no extended solos with one foot on the monitor and one hand drinking a beer while the other does hammer-ons (although when he does take a solo, he tears it up!). He provides harmonies and arpeggios to the songs’ progressions that fill out and solidify the band’s sound.
The band has had a year and it will be exciting to see them regain some normalcy in the months to come. Leahey was treated for a brain tumor last November that was threatening the hearing in one of his ears. Since the surgery, the group has toured in short spurts while he recovers, but the time off has clearly given him time to write a solid album’s worth of material. The excitement in his voice and the look in his eye when he mentioned the new record were indicative of the things to come from Andrew Leahey and the Homestead in the near future.
Andrew and the Homestead have only a handful of shows coming up as they finish their new record. Check their live dates here.
Kevin Ott
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