I’m not really sure how or why I’ve gotten so lucky. Over the span of six days to start the month of June I’ve been fortunate to see two of my favorite female vocalists perform live. Last weekend it was Danielle Nicole at the Greeley Blues Jam. And the night before last it was Meghan Parnell at Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox in Denver.
If you were to ask me to put together a ‘top 5’ list of jaw-droppingly incredible, awe-inspiring female vocalists, these two would be on the list. Heck, make that a ‘top 4’ list.
If you don’t know Meghan Parnell, shame on you. She’s the stop-you-in-your-tracks front person for the Canadian rock/soul/blues/roots band Bywater Call. In the review I wrote after seeing Bywater Call perform at the Soiled Dove Underground last August, I made the pronouncement that they were a band “on the verge of becoming the next big thing”. In the ten months since I made that statement, they’ve taken monster steps in that direction.
They’ve toured extensively and have just recently returned from a trek through Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany and Spain. Less than two weeks removed from their last gig in San Sebastian, Spain, they’ve kicked off a five-week set of dates through North America with the first three shows in Colorado (Denver, Montrose, and Colorado Springs.) Their published tour schedule has them pretty well booked through early November. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a band in demand.
Despite the non-stop touring schedule, they’ve managed to put together a healthy batch of new material… so much so that they have a new album scheduled for release on August 9. They played several tunes from the new album at Ophelia’s, and all I can say is WOW!
Bywater Call’s sound is distinctly their own. While Parnell’s incredible voice is the centerpiece, it isn’t used to cover up any limitations elsewhere in the band. This group is loaded, top to bottom. Lead guitarist and co-founder (with Parnell) Dave Barnes just might be the most distinctive slide player working today. There are a LOT of exceptional slide players in the world – players who can make their axes scream. Barnes’ style is more subtle… smoother… to a certain degree, more understated. But don’t let it fool you… when called upon, and he can crank it out with the best of them.
Thursday night’s 14-song, hour and a twenty-five-minute set gave every member of the band an opportunity to show their stuff. Parnell’s voice was mesmerizing. Barnes’ guitar playing was ethereal. Beyond that…
In many bands, horn sections are there as accompaniments, or to provide accents or fills. Not so with this band. The two-person horn section of Stephen Dyte on trumpet and Julian Nalli on saxophone are integral parts of the band. Both get multiple solo opportunities over the course of a live set, including engaging in duels with Barnes on guitar, John Kervin on keys, and with each other. On top of that, they are both highly animated, playful, and entertaining (especially when they start banging on the cowbell).
The rhythm section of Bruce McCarthy on drums and Mike Meusel on bass, does exactly what an exceptional rhythm section does – they hold everything together with little fanfare (although Meusel did throw out a tasty bass solo in the middle of the song “Left Behind”, which was the closer for the evening). And the newest member of the band, the previously mentioned John Kervin on keys, wowed throughout, especially during an opening solo for the tune “Signs Of Peace”, and as part of a killer jam with Barns on guitar and Nalli on sax within the song “Love The One You’re With” (Stephen Stills cover) mid-way through the set.
The set included cuts from both of the band’s previous albums (2019’s Bywater Call and 2022’s Remain), their 2023 EP Beyond The Doorway, the upcoming album Shepherd, and a selection of exceptionally tasty covers. The most interesting of those covers might have been Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir”, which they seamlessly rolled into coming out of “Holler”, from the upcoming Shepherd album.
Although the entire set was terrific, I would call out the song “As If”, which was released as a single earlier this year (and which I assume will be on the new album) as my highlight of the evening. If you haven’t heard that song, it would be worth your time to check it out. It features everything that is great about Bywater Call, from the opening drums and bass line to the great vocals, killer horns, rocking/funky guitar (with a great slide solo), and tight keys. If it doesn’t get you on your feet, nothing will.
As I frequently do at shows I cover, I sought out a couple of random people as we were leaving the venue to see what they thought. I talked to a guy named Pat who commented that this might have been the “tightest” band he’s ever seen… that they were so tuned into each other that their music and performance seemed flawless. Try as I might, I’m struggling to come up with anything that would beat that assessment.
Story and photos by Rick Witt www.rickwittphotography.com
