Jace Everett at Bush Hall

Jace Everett at Bush Hall

07 May, 2010
by: SpoonfedMeg

Bush Hall fills with True Blood vampire fans for a lesson in American country rock from Jace Everett

“Don’t worry,” opens Jace Everett. “I will be playing that song.” There’s a laugh from the audience but also a sense of relief. That song is why there are so many Londoners in Bush Hall on a Wednesday night to see an up and coming American alternative country artist. “But,” he continues, “I’m going to make y'all wait for it.”

Jace Everett, a Texan-born artist, can trace a direct line between the Bush Hall stage tonight and a set of sexed up vampires on the American television network HBO. 'Bad Things', a song off his 2005 self-titled album, was used during the title credits of TV show True Blood and as the show grew in popularity so did Jace Everett.

Despite the fact that a sizable chunk of the audience may be here simply to hear what has become Jace’s anthem to antebellum blood sucking, he’s not going to let the True Blood fans in the audience off easy or without an introduction to the brand of country that artists such as Pat Green, Wade Bowen, the Eli Young Band and now Jace Everett are exporting from the American south. His set list focuses on his newest album, 'Red Revelations', and the high energy music begins to warm up the room.

And as the night goes on, despite numerous cracks from the artist himself about the audience’s polite silence between songs and understated reception to the music, it's clear that the crowd is getting into the show. Jace has been rocking his acoustic guitar out for nearly ninety minutes before pointing the mic towards the crowd and inviting us to join in on the chorus of 'What Is It?' The whole room surprises themselves and the artist with a decidedly enthusiastic sing-a-long. “Oh, now you’re getting into it,” Jace quips.

It may be no surprise that a country artist – who counts his influences as traditional southern voices Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Robert Earl Keen and the like – doesn’t receive an immediately warm reception. During the show, Jace calls out to the “haters”, a group of listeners who may possibly include the long-suffering man standing next to me listening to the Spurs game on the radio, earplugs firmly in ears, while his wife dances around cheering every time Jace mentions True Blood. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Jace managed to convert a large handful of those “haters” into slightly more tolerant country music listeners and True Blood fans into proper Jace Everett fans as well. This was not the show of a one-hit wonder; this is a new brand of country from an artist who’s had his break and is proving to audiences that he’s going to make the most of it.

Before bowing out, Jace does play that song and the crowd cheers and sings along. But by now this has become an informed fandom, following an hour-and-a-half journey through a rock-influenced alternative country soundtrack to Louisiana, Nashville, Texas and the rest of the American south.

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SpoonfedMeg