Friday night’s show at the Haw River Ballroom featured an intriguing lineup and venue where three dynamic songwriters in the round made the most of an intimate setting. The rain began falling on this chilly evening as people slowly filled the upstairs Cup 22 area of the ballroom. A black curtain covered the view of the ballroom space and the area was transformed into—literally—a coffee shop setting for the performances.
Ryan Gustafson, Charlie Parr and Phil Cook treated the audience to a nearly two-and-a-half-hour show. Each debuted new material and joined in on each other’s songs as the mood fit. Perhaps the biggest news from the evening was the announcement that the trio would be working together to produce Parr’s next release, his first recorded outside of Minnesota. This night was the first time Parr and Gustafson had been exposed to much of each other’s work and audible bits of appreciation were heard as they exchanged parts throughout the evening. Cook also announced that he had completed his highly anticipated Southland Mission album the day before. Below are new songs from each songwriter.
Ryan Gustafson, “Lost in Baton Rouge”
Phil Cook, “Ain’t it Sweet”
Charlie Parr, “Evil Companion”
