Review of Concert by Chris Stuart and Backcountry

at the Lucy Opry on July 8, 2006

By Betty Westmoreland

The concert on July 8, 2006, at the Lucy Opry in the Bartlett Performing Arts & Conference Center (BPACC) by Chris Stuart and Backcountry was wonderful, to put it mildly. Despite the low turnout, the band delivered as real professionals do. They played for us as though the house was packed, which it should have been. It is just such a thrill to see and hear bands from other parts of the country, and to experience their interpretations of bluegrass music.

Guitarist Chris Stuart has been praised and awarded by the industry for his songwriting skills, and the reasons are obvious. The man can tell a story! And put it to music! Chris Stuart’s vocals are clear and strong, and his guitar work only serves to enhance his writing and singing. He is from San Diego, CA, so there is a strong West-Coast feel to his style. He is in complete command of himself on the stage.

Janet Beazley is about as solid a banjo player as there is in bluegrass music these days. Nothing flashy or dazzling—just solid banjo! This much sought-after artist is from San Juan Capistrano, CA, and she holds a doctorate in early music. She is accomplished on just about every stringed instrument there is, and her singing is strong and sure. Like Chris Stuart and the other musicians in the group, Janet Beazley teaches at workshops and festivals throughout the USA and Canada. Her relaxed style is a joy to hear, and her current solo album, “5 South,” (Backcountry 840) is on the charts in Bluegrass Unlimited at #15 in the country. Her music, in fact, her very presence, is just delightful.

Fiddle player Megan Lynch is another award-winning artist in Backcountry. She is the six-time national fiddle champion, and Megan also performs with Nashville’s own talented group, 3 Fox Drive. Megan Lynch’s finely-tuned fiddle style brought out several aspiring locals to watch and listen for tips to improve their own techniques. Megan teaches at fiddle camps around the country and is in the online instruction program at www.bluegrasscollege.org.

Despite his appearance as being very young, handsome Montana native, Mason Tuttle, plays the upright bass to perfection. As the apparently rather shy one in the band, Mason keeps a steady beat and sings his fine harmony vocals to add richness to the vocal qualities of the band.

Chris Stuart and Backcountry will be adding band members and shuffling things around just about the time that this review goes to press. If you weren’t able to attend the concert in July, be sure to catch them soon with their new look. Fiddle player Christian Ward and lead guitarist-mandolin player Austin Ward will join Chris Stuart and Backcountry. Their credentials are already solid, as they have performed at a recent CMT Fan Fest with Earl Scruggs and Ricky Skaggs.

The opening set of the performance at the Lucy Opry was begun with “Road Into Town,” followed by a song familiar to Claire Lynch fans, “Paul and Peter Walked.” “The Spring Hill Mine” is a serious work, recalling just how threatening it is to work in the mines. “The Last Yellow Rose” is a song about Chris Stuart’s mother, who is from East Texas Hill Country around Nacogdoches. Megan Lynch took the lead on “Forked Deer,” and as the band was to learn during intermission, the song has special meaning to West Tennesseans, many of whom know the Forked Deer River.

“Rider on this Train” (“Mojave River”) is another of Chris Stuart’s creations which deals with the things one may encounter throughout life. Chris wrote “Julia Belle,” (“5 South”) which Janet Beazley took to #15 on the charts. It tells of the life of the Julia Belle Swain, a riverboat about which John Hartford also sang. Eric Uglum, of the band Lost Highway, contributed the beautiful “Shenandoah Wind.”

Chris Stuart walked right into it when he asked if anybody there was from Seymour, IN, or knew anyone from the town. This writer spoke up and said that she has a cousin, named Bill Bailey (audience laughter), who was Mayor of Seymour and is now President of the Chamber of Commerce there. Chris’ song, “The First Train Robbery,” is about the town of Seymour and its distinction as the place where the Reno Brothers gang chose to rob the first train that was ever held up. Chris Stuart and Bill Bailey have since e-mailed about the town and the big event.

Janet Beazley brought out her low D penny whistle and charmed us with one of Chris’ tunes, “The Old Road to Jerusalem.” In a moment of confession, Chris Stuart let it be known that almost anything can stir thoughts of a song. The band’s next number got its title from a rather powerful statement which is on Carter Stanley’s tombstone, “Farewell for a Little While.”

The band led off the second set with a song in which the mere title brought tears: “Don’t’ Throw Mama’s Flowers Away” (“Mojave River”). American songwriter Stephen Foster wrote “Dear Friends and Gentle Hearts,” (“Mojave River”) which was recognizable as one of Foster’s many period pieces. Norman Wright, formerly of the Bluegrass Cardinals, contributed “Is Your Heart Right with God,” and the Lucy’s own Gary Johnson thrilled us all with “My Walkin’ Shoes Don’t Fit Me Anymore.”

The band continued the set with “Jimmy Brown Revisited,” (“Saints and Strangers”) which recalls Jimmy Brown, the newsboy, “Sin Stealer” (“Mojave River”) and “Sojourner,” which is a tribute to bluegrass musicians who have passed away but yet paved the way for other performers.

Chris Stuart and Backcountry performed several selections from their “Saints and Strangers” album, but the one which broke up the entire audience was “Twenty Naked Pentecostals in a Pontiac.” It seems that members of a church group were traveling in a Grand Am, and the minister decided that the devil was in their clothes, so they stripped! What a song!

“Mojave River” is from the album by the same name. The song tells the story of California’s high desert river. While it almost never rains in those parts, when it does, the river overflows and there is massive flooding.

“Silver Quarter” (“Saints and Strangers”) is Chris Stuart’s song which recalls that Bill Monroe once handed out silver quarters to children he met along the way. At his funeral, kids now grown returned the quarters, placing them in Monroe’s upturned hat until the hat literally overflowed with silver quarters. What a mental picture that is!

The encore song, “This Body is a Honky Tonk,” makes some comparisons to the ways in which the singer has become like a honky tonk, perhaps witnessing too many things along the way—things which he wishes he had not seen and which have taken their toll on him. Life on the road is not easy, as any performer can tell you.

For additional information about Chris Stuart and Backcountry or to see their schedule, check their website at: www.chrisstuart.com or at www.backcountryrecords.com.