From Needtobreathe to The Steel Woods, these acts will play outdoor shows in Columbia
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Columbia sibling venues The Blue Note and Rose Music Hall are prepping a summer soundtrack, music to blend in with birdsong and the shimmer brought on by (hopefully) more than a few breezes.
This summer's outdoor series — the name has morphed from Summerfest to Central Bank Downtown Live! — brings a slate of roots- and rock-leaning acts to Columbia's gray asphalt and green spaces. Here's a look at what's on the docket.
June 25: 49 Winchester in Rose Park
The Virginia band — with increasingly impressive credits, such as opening for Luke Combs in Europe — excels at threading the bitter and the sweet. Rollicking country-rock tunes meet crying steel, coaxing emotion with every barroom chord change.
49 Winchester reflects the likes of John Mellencamp and The Band in its musicianship while always upholding the spirit of pure country. Matt Koziol shares the bill. Tickets are $25-$28.
June 28: Needtobreathe on Ninth Street
On last fall's release "Waves," the beloved South Carolina band called in a little help from its friends — and the gathering of artists such as Judah and the Lion, Old Dominion, Carly Pearce and Foy Vance helped illuminate the plot of common ground Needtobreathe stakes out between genres.
The band's work often is anthemic, but retains enough earthiness to keep from flying through the roof. Needtobreathe also follows tiptoe rhythms into soulful grooves and frames its sound with strings that land somewhere between dynamic and purposeful bombast. Abraham Alexander shares the bill. Tickets are $45-49.50.
June 29: Dirty Dozen Brass Band in Rose Park
Breathe in the sounds of New Orleans when the current iteration of this longstanding ensemble quite literally swings through town. Formed back in 1977, the Dirty Dozen is enjoying continued relevance, nabbing a Grammy last year for its collaboration with Aaron Neville on "Stompin' Ground."
Creating cavernous grooves, then lining them with bright horns, rumbling bass and piano flourishes, the band touches on nearly every innate form of American music. Tickets are $25-$28.
July 12: Brett Young on Ninth Street
Owner of some serious country hits ("In Case You Didn't Know" and "Mercy," among them), the California boy turned Ole Miss pitcher turned charismatic singer knows how to sell a power ballad. Young's blend of lyrical sensitivity and rugged timbre brings a sort of scuffed soul to songs that might sound paint-by-numbers in other artists' catalogs.
Young is touring behind last year's "Across the Sheets," which features seven co-written numbers and a cover of Tim McGraw's "Don't Take the Girl." Tickets are $40-$45.
July 24: Wilderado in Rose Park
Columbia missed a chance to hear this Tulsa collective when the Treeline Music Fest folded. Fortunately, Wilderado is pointed back our way to enflesh many forms of folk music; the band weaves wavy lines of electric guitar through campfire tunes, chases loose-limbed grooves into more cinematic rock numbers and lets their chorus vocals rise like smoke.
Wilderado's tunes travel personal fault lines and contemplate whether certain traits owe more to charisma or vice. Harbour and Windser share the bill. Tickets are $25.
Aug. 2: The Steel Woods in Rose Park
This might truly be the last chance to catch this Nashville-area band, who are bidding the road farewell after the 2021 death of founding guitarist Jason "Rowdy" Cope. The Steel Woods are an authentic rock 'n' roll outfit, delivering Southern-fried stomps and dark, dank organ-drenched blues that land somewhere between the Allmans and Alice in Chains.
The band carves its lyrics and melodies from the grain of abiding stories and, thankfully, has a few more tales to tell. Calder Allen shares the bill. Tickets are $22-$29.
If and when more shows in the series drop, this story will be updated. Visit https://thebluenote.com/ and/or https://rosemusichall.com/ for more information.
Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731. He's on Twitter/X @aarikdanielsen.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Columbia's outdoor summer shows include Needtobreathe, Wilderado
