Release Parties

 

MUSCADINE BLOODLINE

Dispatch To 16th Ave. Album Release Party

Friday February 4, 2022

@ Bobby's Idle Hour in Nashville, TN 

(Review by: Jeffrey Kurtis)

Since they first burst onto the scene with “Porch Swing Angel,” Muscadine Bloodline (Charlie Muncaster and Gary Stanton) have solidified themselves as one of country music’s strongest duo’s while remaining proudly independent.

The Mobile, Alabama natives have charted two EP’s on Billboard, received a standing ovation at The Grand Ole Opry, and have grown their fan base on the back of solid songs such as “Walk In A Room,” “Put Me In My Place,” “Can’t Tell You No,” etc. all while continually developing their rich sound and unapologetically trying some new things to constantly challenge themselves to become even stronger.

As they started to release new music over the past year, “Dyin’ For A Livin’,” “Dispatch to 16th Ave.,” and most recently, “No, Pedal Steel,” Muscadine Bloodline begin to drip with a more traditional flare that created an incredible amount of positive buzz surrounding them as their sound redeveloped.

The buzz heightened to new levels with the announcement of their new album Dispatch to 16th Ave., and on its release day, the duo gathered with fans and friends in Nashville at the legendary Bobby’s Idle Hour to celebrate their new album with a live performance of it that reached outside the hallowed walls of the venue and struck a chord with their entire fan base through a livestream across their social platforms.

Armed with acoustic guitars and backed by pedal steel and drums, Charlie and Gary sat center stage to deliver the entire new album - front to back - showcasing the traditional bent sound that they’ve been creating over the past year while allowing each song to perfectly suit their own unique vocal stylings, solid lyrics, and rich harmonies.

“This record is called Dispatch to 16th Ave.,” began Muncaster. “So, we thought it would be appropriate to have this show at one of our favorite places just off of 16th Ave.,” he finished as he jumped into the lead vocal position, and they opened the show with the album’s title track.

The duo quickly moved into “My Side of Town,” with Stanton taking over the lead vocal role initially, before Muncaster came in on the second verse which brilliantly allowed the audience to instantly hear the uniqueness that each voice carries individually, but also hear the impact on their overall sound when their voices blend in harmony.

“This song is a bit aggressive. It’s about murdering someone,” said Muncaster as they strummed the swampy chords of the intro and delivered the grit filled “Dead on Arrival,” a song with a boot stomping groove that kept the live audience tapping the toes of their boots against the floor and bopping their head along with the melody.

“Hung Up on You” followed, and it quickly revealed a built for today’s country radio melody that leaned heavy on its catchiness to first pull you into it, as the duo then allowed their voices and the can’t move on from her lyrics to wrap around you and hold you tightly into every line that they sung.

With an idea to write a song about all the positive things about growing up in the south, the Mobile, Alabama natives delivered “Southern,” which features a picture painting lyric that while it touches on the things that you’d expect such as sipping sweet tea from a mason jar and sitting on a front porch swing, it’s true depth makes a strong impact during one of the songs final lines when they sing, “By the grace of God we love each other, ain’t no use for hate!”

“This record means a lot to us,” began Muncaster. “We put a lot into it, so thank you so much for all of your support and being here or watching online.”

“This next song is the only love song on the record,” Stanton introduced. “But it’s a different spin on a love song.”

“And if you hate slow country songs, then this one’s not for you,” Muncaster said as they began to play “The Toll,” a song dripping with traditional country style that perfectly fit within the vibe of iconic location they were performing at as the song transported us back to the glory days of songwriters and artists coming together on Music Row.

“This is the first single we put out from the record,” said Stanton. “It’s a real barn burner and completely different from that last one,” he finished as they delivered the rollicking “Dyin’ For A Livin’” and once again had the crowd tapping the toes of their boots and dancing along with the groove laden melody.

“We started this next song 4 years ago,” confessed Stanton. “And we didn’t like it then, but the idea was something and sometimes you’ve gotta pull out the idea and let the song write itself,” he finished as the duo transported us back in time again to the traditional days when Music Row was the place to be with a stellar performance of their most recent grat track, “No, Pedal Steel.”

“We’re really proud to be from Alabama,” Muncaster stated. “This is another song that we started a while ago.”

“We always loved the chorus of this song,” Stanton explained. “It sounded like Mobile in a song,” he finished as they closed the night with “Down in Alabama” to put a perfect endcap on an evening full of songs that not only showcased their incredible new album, but also revealed parts of who Muscadine Bloodline is as songwriters and artists while inviting fans (through song) to come with them to where they come from. 

FULL SET LIST

1) Dispatch to 16th Ave.

2) My Side of Town

3) Dead on Arrival

4) Hung Up on You

5) Southern

6) The Toll

7) Dyin’ For A Livin’

8) No, Pedal Steel

9) Down in Alabama

 

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