By Dave Parsons
If you have been to Nashville, Tennessee in the recent past, you don’t have to look far to find a place to eat, drink and listen to music under one roof. Nearly every building on Broadway Street in Nashville has such an establishment, and you can hear almost any kind of music you could possibly want. I ventured out on a recent trip to observe and write about the atmosphere and music in establishments. To my surprise, I found myself turned away at the door to several very famous establishments because I had a camera around my neck.
Never mind that every person in the place had one in their hand with a phone attached.
With a huge college basketball tournament across the street at the arena and the area getting more crowded and unfriendly by the minute, I decided to walk a few blocks away from the throngs and found a place called the NashHouse Southern Spoon and Saloon. There was a band setting up, seating was quick and fast at a table a few feet from the band, and I was told to take all the photos I wanted.
There was entertainment here from open to close, and the upcoming band was called Arbor North. Google produced a background on the band that they are a husband/wife duo made up of solo artist, AC Jones and Michael Boris formerly of the country trio Lockeland. Each had previous chart action, and since becoming Arbor North they had the video for their second single You, Me and Jesus rack up over half a million views on Facebook within a week of its release.
The bio went on to state they have a sonic landscape that combines modern country, rock, and soul, coupled with lyrical content that is heartfelt and autobiographical, the duo strives to both write and self-produce music that is fun, memorable and nostalgic.
With a bio like that, how could one not order the $12.99 Bacon Queso Dip with bottomless chips and settle in to be entertained?
And entertained is an understatement. Backed by only a 3 piece band, Arbor North opened the show with an original song Would’ve Met You Anyway and went straight into driving covers of Standing Outside The Fire, Down In Mississippi and Independence Day. A lot of bands in Nashville take the time to intro every song, especially the cover songs, but Arbor North saved the stage talking for their original songs and ones they worked up for the occasion.
One such was The Wild Rover, an ode to playing on St. Patrick’s Day weekend. AC’s solo single Castle, was inspired by her niece while another original, Over You (The Yellow Sundress Song), showed the power of AC’s vocals. There is also a chance you may see it in a TV series in the future!
More covers including Suds In the Bucket, Heads Carolina, Tails California and Walking After Midnight paid homage to the country roots of the duo, while Summer of ’69 and a medley later in the set containing Long Way To The Top, Sharp Dressed Man, and Rock & Roll All Nite, was nothing short of classic rock done well.
Arbor North’s original songs though, are where they shine. The lyrics hold their own with the classic covers they are doing, and they sound as polished as the covers they have been doing for years. The live version of You, Me and Jesus proves why it had all those views. All The Right Mistakes and Hot in The Kitchen had the duo being flirty and interacting with each other. AC’s single, an ode and plea to Stand in the Circle at the Grand Ole Opry had very sacred vibes here, mere blocks from the Ryman Auditorium, especially when they morphed the song into the Grand Ole Opry’s theme song Will The Circle Be Unbroken?
Giving way to the holiday that weekend, they closed with the timeless The Parting Glass, sending the crowd off and making way for the next entertainer who started their set in about 20 minutes.
Overall, it was a very tight 90-minute set that delivered everything the biography on the internet promised.
And the nachos weren’t bad either.
Arbor North Setlist:
1 Would’ve Met You Anyway
2 Standing Outside The Fire
3 Down In Mississippi
4 Independence Day
5 The Wild Rover
6 Goes Down Easy
7 Castle
8 Suds In The Bucket
9 Over You (Yellow Sundress Song)
10 Heads Carolina
11 Summer Of 69
12 Walking After Midnight
13 Stand In The Circle/Will The Circle Be Unbroken
14 You, Me and Jesus
15 All The Right Mistakes
16 Take It Easy
17 Happy Hour Driveway
18 Bartender
19 Hot In The Kitchen
20 Medley: Long Way To The Top/Sharp Dressed Man/Rock & Roll All Nite
21 Thank You/Red Eye
22 The Parting Glass
Photo Gallery : Arbor North – NashHouse Southern Spoon and Saloon (03.15.2024)
