HUDSON VALLEY

Featured Artist for Undiscovered Nashville's “Pre-Famous”

Thursday April 6, 2023

@ The Clubhouse at Sonny’s in Nashville, TN

(Review by: Jeffrey Kurtis)

Tucked into its cozy atmosphere, the Clubhouse at popular Germantown hotspot Sonny's is like a welcoming living room with dim lighting, comfy couches, and an ambient fireplace that perfectly accents the entire space to tie its aura together.

But the venue transforms into a listening room where songs can truly be experienced every Thursday night when Undiscovered Nashville hosts their “pre-famous” series, bringing together three rounds of music from the strongest emerging talent with a spotlight, featured act.

Their most recent roster of featured acts has included such high-profile names as Bri Fletcher, Steel Ivory, Audra McLaughlin, Shantaia, and on this night, Hudson Valley.

Though known for electric cover performances that ignite late night crowds at Ole Red, the group has also crafted a buzz through very well-received original releases, "Right Place Now," "Can't Have Nothing Nice,” and recent single, "Ain't the Gun."

With a promise of more new music on the way, guitarist Matthew Farinelli and lead singer Sarah Owens sampled new tunes while solidifying the crowd with a smattering of the songs that have impacted their career thus far. 

“We’re gonna start off with a little honky-tonk,” Sarah said, as Matthew dropped into the two-stepping rhythm of "Let Me Drink About It," allowing plenty of room for Owens to instantly engage the crowd with her ultra- powerful vocal as Farinelli lifted the harmony alongside the clap along melody.

“This next one is the first song we ever released. It was our first to country radio, and our first taste of everything," gratefully shared Owens as they drove back to 2019 with "Can't Have Nothing Nice," riding her vocal atop the float of the rhythm while embracing the emotional drive of the heartbreak wrapped into the lyrics as she impressively emphasized certain phrasing through the chorus that hit all the proper punches while skillfully hushed at the perfect moments.

"We just released this one a few weeks ago and put out the music video last week," shared Sarah giddily as she told that the video will be impacting CMT as "Ain't the Gun" intriguingly flavored its otherwise edgy rock induced sound with an acoustic flavor that added a new dynamic that wrapped around Owens’ incredibly gifted vocal while she snapped every note of the very impactful lyrics.

Slowing it down, they revisited their 2019 debut Seven with "Drink Me Gone," before grabbing the crowd with their incredible version of Old Dominion's "Shut Me Up,” injecting the familiarity of the song with a spice that completely made it their own as they perfectly harmonized through the sing along chorus while the female perspective slapped it with a whole different touch.

"I wrote this one a long time ago about a one night stand, but I ended up marrying him so...," Sarah confessed through a big smile before playing "Drunk Driving," leaning into a softer tilt as she comparatively took us through cleverly written lines about buzzing on his kisses and trying to keep everything between the lines as she was falling.

Half hour acoustic sets like these really allow Hudson Valley to put on a full display of their originality while lifting each of their defining signature characteristics into a spotlight that shines on what makes them one of the hottest acts in Nashville.

Combine their latest single that’s already hitting it's intended mark with the three highly anticipated new tunes that are still on the way, and 2023 is already shaping up to be a monumental year that should see Hudson Valley notching even more accolades as they move their success story closer and closer toward its overall goal.

FULL SET LIST

1) Let Me Drink About It

2) Can't Have Nothing Nice

3) Ain't the Gun

4) Drink Me Gone

5) Shut Me Up (Old Dominion cover)

6) Drunk Driving

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