One Horse Shy
“The jelly on my toast”
One Horse Shy gets Alex’s a-stomping
I drink on the job. This piece of possibly damning information was disclosed to my boss upon acquiring this position. His response: “I’d be concerned if you didn’t.”
So there I was on March 7, highball in hand and packed into Alex’s like a boatload of bananas heading out of port—our captain: One Horse Shy, which recently won “Favorite Local Rock ‘n’ Roll Band in the Sneak Preview’s “Best of Ashland.” They also came in second for “Best Local Bluegrass Band.”
What I like about Alex’s is the wide variety of bands owner Charles Tobey brings in on a weekly basis. And with this diversity comes contrasting crowds as well. On this particular night there seemed to be a surge in cowgirl boots, flannels and two-day stubble—and most likely, bourbon sales. There was also a dramatic increase of girls dancing on chairs (a statistic that is dear to the heart of a Dugger).
Fronted by Manda Bryn and Cris Kelly, One Horse Shy has steadily been building a loyal local following with their driving harmonies, meandering and playful lyrics and a boot-stomping intensity that gets even the heaviest of feet drinkers to put down their ales and head for the dance floor. If you’ve never been to Alex’s, the dance floor is small, but—given the right combination—rowdy.
Joining Bryn and Kelly was bassist Mysha Caruso, percussionist Bryan Helfrich, dobro and lap steel player Bob Evoniuk, and Lincoln Zeve on harmonica.
Throughout the three-set evening, the band seemed right at home on stage at Alex’s as they roused the crowd to dance with their familiar favorites, including a nice balance of originals and covers ranging from traditional Americana tunes such as “I’ll Fly Away” to an interesting version of the Divinyls’ 90’s pop hit “I Touch Myself.”
Manda Bryn sings as if she knows something the audience doesn’t, and her voice is the agent of insight. It is this communion that gives her such a demanding and artful presence on stage.
One song in particular had me engaged beyond the surface beauty of its performance, an original tune entitled “Oh Muddy River,” written mainly by Bryn. As the song began there was a mysterious and chaotic feeling about the room.
And though I didn’t follow the exact lyrics, the song itself—with its chant-like repeating melody near the end—seemed to pick up the entire mess of Alex’s like a house in a Nebraska twister, but instead of havoc, it seemed to bring an equilibrium to the spinning room of frantic dancers, hurrying cocktail waitresses and tables full of laughter and shouting. It was an experience that only a group of truly talented songwriters and musician can provide.
That tune will be on their second album, which they’re currently working on and hope to release sometime this summer.
For more information about the band, check out onehorseshy.net. They are set to open for Wake of the Dead at the Rogue Theatre in Grants Pass on April 4, then they’re heading up to Portland before returning to the stage at Alex’s on Friday, April 17. Maybe I’ll see you there, I’ll be the one in the flannel with two-day stubble and drinking bourbon.
