Parker Barrow Doesn’t Rob Their Audience
This blues infused southern rock juggernaut is already setting 2025 on fire and there’s more to come
Parker Barrow. Parker Barrow. Parker Barrow! I want to say it as many times as I can so that you will remember the name of this band. After seeing them perform live at 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville, I will never forget. I have to say thank you to Gregg Bell, Parker Barrow’s manager, for reaching out to me and inviting me to the show. I have been getting a lot of submissions through Rock Oracle to go out and see bands or listen to a new single and most the time I listen or find them online and I pass for one reason or another. When I looked up this bluesy-southern rock band I found myself going down the rabbit hole to watch and listen to as much as I could – and then I saw them live – and I am a fan for life!
Let me set the stage, so to speak, about my experience. First off, the venue is an Independent Live Music site on the corner of 3rd Ave South and Lindsley Ave (hence the name), its roughly 1/2 mile south of Broadway in the Soho District and was established in 1991. The floorplan is very well laid out with seating for roughly 350 people. It includes a mezzanine that overlooks the lower seating and bar- and as I walked around, I could not find a bad seat. While we are on the subject of butts in place I was ecstatic about actually sitting for a show. Most venues pull out seating for their events, as they are strictly live music spaces and do not often serve food. At 3rd & Lindsley you can enjoy a wonderful meal (I didn’t eat but I will next time- the food looked outstanding) and enjoy some fantastic music with all the lumbar support you need. At age 50, I relish this environment.
Local Nashville artist Kevin Daniel started off the show with what some might call y’allternative rock music. His sound has been described as “radio and TV ready with enough darkness creeping in around the edges to appeal to fans of Jason Isbell & Langhorne Slim.” I found him wildly entertaining from start to finish, with enough self-deprecating humor that you couldn’t help but chuckle at his dialogue between songs.
Daniel doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously, but that is not to say he doesn’t take his music that way. At one point he told the audience “I moved to Nashville from North Carolina, so everybody hates me”. His songs are accounts of real-life experiences, and they are personal, obscure, whimsical and solemn. All those peaks and valleys and detours that we all endure and try to navigate throughout our existence can be found in his words. He draws from what he knows and that is the appeal of this artist.
He dons a Hawaiian shirt on stage this night and plays his guitar up high on his chest, pointing it as he plays, like the old gunslinger Johnny Cash did. The band tonight, including Daniel, is a four-piece ensemble. The players tightly weave a background of upbeat musical merriment that perfectly highlights the singer/songwriter’s intentions.
Kevin hits us with a song called ‘Happy For Awhile’. He says it’s “about seeing all your friends go live their lives and get married and have kids – and they are happy (he mutters sarcastically) – while I’m in a van with these 3 stinky guys… so much beef jerky in the van…teriyaki… the smelliest of all the jerky’s.” Brady (bass), Garrett (drums) and Brad (electric guitar) are those dudes that jam with our frontman and they are a solid group. Kevins voice is stunning in the way that Chris Stapleton’s is. He is raw and powerful, and the sound is inviting, warm and sincere. In the song “Too Crowded Already” I find that authentic and ingenuous personality shine through the music.
I’ve been crying, I’ve been sleeping
I’ve been trying, I’ve been screaming
I’ve been thinking about you too damn much
I’ve been fighting, finding meaning,
I’ve been smoking, I’ve been drinking
I’ve been thinking about you too damn much
Leave me alone to myself
It’s too crowded already
Leave my mind to dwell
Let you back in when I’m ready
I highly recommend you seeing this immensely talented human being when you get a chance.
Parker Barrow was up next and while I knew I was about to see something incredible; I didn’t realize the totality of what I was about to witness. The band is led by husband and wife duo Megan Kane (vocals) and Dylan Turner (drums), alongside Alex Bender (guitar)- That is the core three. However the band stretches to as many as 10 pieces and tonight they had Bo Howard on bass, Will Tipton on additional guitar and Eric Safka on keys. We also got saxophone player, Cam Gallagher and two backing vocalists in Charity Byers and Vanessa Pare. The name of the group comes from the infamous partners in crime Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. Much like the band’s outlaw namesake, Parker Barrow makes an undeniable impression on anyone lucky enough to tell the tale.
The energy level is out of this world. The opened with a booming new track called ‘Make It’ which will officially be out on Friday, April 11th. Megan was wearing an animal print outfit of brown and black, and she embodied the beast as she pounced around the stage with magnificent exuberance. She has these Janis Joplin-esque vocal chops that fill the entire room and push you to the floor. The magnitude of her range is impressive. The whole band gives off vibes and feels of the 1970’s and breathes the very essence of free spirit. When Kane sings the second track into the show, ‘Glass Eyes Cryin’ she does it acapella to start and I think of the song ‘Summertime’ by Janis. Unapologetically heartfelt.
The band has all the pieces that Big Brother & The Holding company had too. They are parts Black Crowes, sections of Chicago and Marshall Tucker Band rolled into a fiercely proficient group of players. ‘Don’t Tell Mama’ is the newest single from the band following their latest album entitled Jukebox Gypsies, which they all graciously signed for me after the show.
The friends tell the story of how the single came to be, “The song idea originally came from a night off in Boston about 6 years ago, when a friend of ours came out on the road with us for the first time and had a few too many beverages. He made a comment about if his mom only knew the condition he was in – and Megan said, “Don’t Tell Mama!” That was in 2020. “It wasn’t until our producer, Stephen McKnight, heard us play the ‘updated version’ of “Don’t Tell Mama” live that he suggested that we recut the track with the new arrangement. He had some ideas for the new version, so we re-wrote the song and added a new verse, went into the studio and recorded it with him and then released it as a stand-alone single. For us, it’s given “Don’t Tell Mama” a new life and made it fun to play and perform live again. It’s fresh and with a new energy and we’re excited for people to hear it!”
The band broke down into an acoustic set midway through the show. As they walked off the stage Safka, slayed a solo piece that helped transition from powerful rock and roll to a more intimate setting. Megan, Dylan and Alex reemerged to play a few stripped down songs that included ‘Where the Bluebird Goes’, ‘Can’t Find My Way Home’ and ‘Olivia Lane’. When speaking of “Bluebird” Megan mentions “it’s the 10th track on the record, so I hope you listen long enough to get to it.” It’s impossible not to listen that long. I saw them last night and I’ve listened to the album three times since. You can see the joy that they receive from playing in front of a live audience. The charisma of the entire ensemble as well as the love that you can see between Dylan and Megan is exciting. They are following their passion and living their dream.
The rest of the band reunites with its mates, and we are back to a satisfying treat of electric sound and a formidable showcase of more great songs. Notes that would tear other singer’s throats apart, Megan Kane, tackles effortlessly. The guitars of Alex and Will, along with the bass playing of Bo were not only soul shredding but so endearing and empowering. Not to mention that red crushed velvet jacket of the bassist was fire. Megan and husband/drummer Dylan team up to write some brilliantly heartfelt lyrics. Long instrumentals surround the poignant words and allow us to let loose and stomp our hands and feet on whatever is around us.
Megan mentioned that when she was just 15 or 16, she came from Birmingham, AL to Nashville and caught her first show at 3rd and Lindsley. She said, “I remember thinking, I want to be on that stage someday.” Well, you did it. Parker Barrow is going to absolutely explode in 2025. I am glad that I went to this show and saw an impeccable gig. Be sure to find this band on your streaming service and more importantly go see them live. Engage in your music community and support live music and live music venues.
Megan did tell me after the show “There is nothing more terrifying than seeing some dude, front and center, writing notes with actual pen and paper during a show. I figured you were Rock Oracle.”
That’s my girl♥️♥️♥️♥️
She’s wonderful! They all are.