Secret Carrboro Ninja Patrol: Lizzy Ross and The Magnolia Collective at The Station's Americana Revue

The Station at Southern Rail, Carrboro
May 27, 2010

If it wasn't for the occasional necessity to slip down into a Lucinda Williams style push-pull grit, Lizzy Ross could spend an entire set tip-toeing through upper air of her powdery soft falsetto. With a range so at home and comfy in the thin frequencies of the upper atmosphere, even her more honky tonking tunes like "Wedding Cake" can pass for hushed ballads. Though her silver tongued vocals have the strength and confidence of a prowling tom cat, her songwriting reveals the occasional country-girl soft spot. Stripped down by nature and Americana by arrangement, Lizzy's lyrics are a fluent interpretation of the heart break tempered joy that swirl around young love. Early into the evening the slowly unspooling rhythm and easy spirit of "Maria" congealed the stage with the audience who swayed to Lizzy's Taylor guitar whispering sweet nothings in their ears.

Lizzy Ross' sweet shop brand of roots music served up in the traditions of country soul was the perfect musical ethos for the stage last night at The Station at Southern Rail's newly christened monthly Americana Revue Night. Set to re-occur on the second Thursday of every month beginning June 10, The Station at Southern Rail is hosting free concerts showcasing local folk, alternative country, and roots rock acts as a celebration for the deep well of local talent creating music in this space as well as their expanding base of Americana thirsty followers.

Carrboro being a music town's music town...it will come as no surprise that there is also an interesting and unique twist on the night. While the event will present a different local headliner every month, a loosely gathered recurring cast of local folk and roots artists will always open the show. Representing as the house band and coined "The Magnolia Collective" this group pulls it's base members from Gambling the Muse, The Pneurotics, and The Whiskey Smugglers and in delightful fashion, it will also include guest members from previous headliner bands who appeared on the revue to shape into an ever evolving and always interesting ensemble.

Booking for The Station at Southern Rail Americana Review Night is nearly set for the summer with June 10 finding three piece string trio The Sinful Savage Tigers' mandolin seared acoustic romps and modern, urgent, and inspired Americana song writing on stage at the revue. --Carrboro Ninja

more images from The Station at Southern Rail's Americana Revue yesterday

Lizzy Ross