The Lone Bellow, Anderson East, Hugh Robert Masterson- Turner Hall Ballroom, October 19, 2015

photo by Will Piper

Resident "Milwaukee Man," Hugh Robert Masterson joined forces with neo-soul stand-out Anderson East, and Americana harmonizing darlings, The Lone Bellow, for a Monday night of music that treated listeners to a trio of acts with one foot deeply rooted in tradition and another on modern innovation.  The result was an evening of progressive Americana music which delighted the large crowd gathered at Tuner Hall, especially for a Monday night.

Lots has happened for The Lone Bellow since they last played Shank Hall in January of 2014.  For starters, they were featured heavily at summer festivals and performed a stand-out set at the inaugural Eaux Claires festival.  Their second release, this year's Then Came the Morning built upon the success of their 2013 debut The Lone Bellow, capitalizing on the exquisite harmonies of lead vocalist and songwriter Zach Williams, mandolin player, Kanene Donehey Pipkin and guitarist Brian Elmquist.  However, on Then Came the Morning the band branches out further, allowing the band to take more risks with their music, including diving more deeply into gospel-influenced numbers, particularly the stand out title track, "Then Came the Morning," which was the set closer.   Older favorites like "Green Eyes and a Heart of Gold" and "You Don't Love Me Like You Used To," fit seamlessly against newer tracks like "Take My Love," "Diners" and "Fake Roses."  The vocal prowess of The Lone Bellow has improved and matured, creating a live experience that by far surpasses their studio recordings.  Simply put, this band has some pipes!

photo by Stephen Bloch

Opening for The Lone Bellow was Anderson East, rhythm and blues singer from Nashville, via Athens, Alabama.  His set was a high energy showcase which pitted material from his 2015 debut Delliah alongside covers from acts like Faces, Van Morrison and Eddie Floyd.  While I enjoyed the cover tunes, I thought that the originals were more interesting, including the throw-back jam "Satisfy Me," which closed the set to a rousing ovation from the fans.  Like J.D. McPherson, Anderson East has a fair amount of early rock n' roll roots in his music, bit also has a modern swagger which translates well live.

Milwaukee got to see a lot of Hugh Robert Masterson throughout the night, as our former resident country troubadour did guitar tech for The Lone Bellow.  He also played an early set, which featured both established and new tunes performed acoustically.

photo by Stephen Bloch

The highlight of the evening featured The Lone Bellow, Anderson East, and Hugh Robert Masterson all joining together on stage for a rousing rendition of Prince's classic "Purple Rain," which was executed about as well as any ensemble cover I've heard this year.  

photo by Stephen Bloch