The Powerful Music of Gregory Alan Isakov & Sanders Bohlke at Mercy Lounge

Nashville – Gregory Alan Isakov plays big in a quiet way. Some musicians command attention by playing a raucous performance with the volume at 10, but not Isakov. He brought only his acoustic guitar and a banjo to the stage at Mercy Lounge. The Friday night crowd mellowed to a murmur as Isakov’s soft voice introduced us to two of his best friends, the violinist and cellist who have accompanied him on his tour in support of his most recent album released in July, The Weatherman.

While Isakov didn’t seem shy, it is apparent that he is a quiet and thoughtful person, one who chooses his words carefully. Such a quality seems obvious though for a musician known as much for his introspective lyrics as his folky instrumentals.

Gregory Alan Isakov has been gradually building a dedicated fan base over the past ten years. Though he may barely be considered “new” (an attribute we at BestNewBands seek to share), he has flown under the radar and may still be new to many people (such as myself).

From the craning of necks, it was also apparent that most members of the crowd were also new to a performance technique used towards the end of the set in which Isakov gathered his two-man band around a single, retro microphone to play “Suitcase Full of Sparks” and “Saint Valentine,” Soggy Bottom Boys-style.

The sound was significantly quieter than the fully miked band, but the three-hundred person crowd quieted down so much that the air conditioner could be heard switching on at one point during the two songs, not to mention one guy’s cell phone ring. An old adage says that the wise command attention with words that are quietly spoken, carefully chosen. While most of us struggle with this, it manifests in the music and personage of Isakov.

Before Gregory Alan Isakov’s triad graced Mercy Lounge, Sanders Bohlke of Oxford, Mississippi put the crowd in an appropriately pensive mood. Delicate vocals tinged with reverb sang over his atmospheric creations built out of acoustic guitar and synth. Songs like “An Unkindness of Ravens” were particularly powerful. The song’s tension rose and broke like a cathartic thundercloud ripping open. In the dénouement, Bohlke sang, “God is weeping at the teeth that are gnashing. The unkindness of ravens descends for the reaping.”

Bohlke mostly played music from his newest album, Ghost Boy (via Communicating Vessels). His songs were dark and beautiful, and required more brainpower to fully comprehend than most of us have after a beer or two on a Friday night. His music is worth visiting and revisiting though. He seems to be the same sort of artist as Isakov, the kind who is not a flash in the pan and will continue to grow and innovate. We hope and expect to hear more from him.

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Caroline McDonald

My first memory is of singing Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” quietly to myself during preschool naptime. Perhaps it’s because I’m from Nashville where an instrument lives in every home, but music has gripped me for as long as I can remember.

After dabbling in many parts of the music industry—recording studios, PR, management, labels, publishing—I’m expanding into music journalism because I’m yet to find anything more rewarding that finding and sharing new music.

A longtime sucker for girls with guitars, my musical taste unabashedly follows the songwriting lineage of Dolly Parton and includes Patty Griffin, Gillian Welch, and Neko Case. But not to pigeonhole myself, my music love is big love that stretches from R.L. Burnside to Animal Collective to Lord Huron.

I’ve recently moved home to Nashville after living in Boston and Big Sur for several years. I’d forgotten how music pours onto the streets ten hours a day, seven days a week. I’m honored to share the creative explosion happening here. If your band is in the area or of the area, please reach out!