Blackberry Smoke
Masquerade Atlanta Ga
September 8, 2012
By: Cyndi Ford
Blackberry Smoke:
Charlie Starr - guitar, lead singer
Richard Turner - bass, backup vocals
Brandon Still- keyboards
Brit Turner - drums
Paul Jackson - guitar, backup vocals


It was a beautiful night after a cooling rain, the first taste of fall coming to the south. What a perfect night for an outdoor concert. aptly named the Brothers & Sisters Festival. We arrived while the North Mississippi All Stars were on the stage. What an interesting collection of instruments they played. From a cigar box guitar, to a tin can turned into a banjo sounding instrument, to a washboard hooked up to more effects than most lead guitarist. All I could say is wow. But we were here to see Blackberry Smoke, and I was excited for my friend Chicago Joe to see the homegrown boys that I had bragged about and played oh so many times for him.

Was not long at all and BBS was taking the stage. This is one of the qualities that impresses me most about the Masquerade. Not only is it one of the best sounding venues in Atlanta, with always an intimate setting. But it has some of the best staff that is extremely prompt on keeping things on time, very professional. Kudos to the Masquerade, and especially Tim, cheers to many more years of success!

When the band started up, the crowd went wild. They lit up the stage, which had the skyline of downtown Atlanta in the background, a breath taking beautiful sight. The tunes were flowing like fine bourbon out of a flask, smooth as silk, yet with the rawness of home brew. These are some hometown boys that have done damn good. They just came out with a new album/cd, called Whippoorwill, and within no time it was number one. Well deserved recognition, that is long over due.

They have been called the modern day Lynyrd Skynyrd, a reference that fits like a glove, for their sound is country mixed with just enough rock to get ya rolling. It is no wonder that their good friend Zac Brown loves to take these guys on the road with him, they exude fun and good vibes.

The song that has caught my ear that was a fave from that nights performance, is “One Horse Town”, a slow one that has perfect southern lyrics. I am usually not one for a slow song, but this one is a def exception. I was excited for my all time faves: “Good One Coming On”, “Son of a Bourbon”. But when they invited special guest Rich Robinson, along with a couple of others on stage and did a version of the Stones classic “Love in Vain”, and Aerosmith’s “No More No More”, I was pleasantly surprised. This was a great night, with great weather, and most definitely a great band. If they roll into your town, do yourself a favor, live a little, and go and raise a glass with the boys from Blackberry Smoke, and enjoy life!

http://blackberrysmoke.com/
http://www.masqueradeatlanta.com/