Vincent Neil Emerson unleashes his outlaw songwriting on Knuckleheads
Photo by Cory Swieczkowski
Raw stories of struggle, that’s what country music is all about. It helps when it’s told through the lenses of drinking beer, getting your heart broken by your ex-wife, and a far too long stage name. Vincent Neil Emerson showcased his alternative country songwriting Saturday, March 21, at the Knuckleheads Garage.
When Vincent Neil Emerson comes through town–opener or main act–I make sure to catch him. I won’t complain about seeing a modern country and folk figure at the intimate Knuckleheads Garage. You can pick among movie theater seats, bar high-tops, or church pews for your viewing pleasure.
The concert roared to life with solo artist Kade Hoffman, who played only sad Western songs. The opener repeatedly told the audience there would be no feel-good jams. He knows how to sell a show.
What followed was melancholy in a gravelly vibrato. Kade Hoffman stood alone, his lyrics revealing vulnerable stories. It was the quietest audience I have seen at Knuckleheads during an opener.
Photo by Cory Swieczkowski
Hoffman also had the charm to win over the crowd. During the middle of his set, he decided to introduce his band–his arms gestured to the empty stage behind him. His songs consisted of thoughtful fingerpicking—reminding (and even referencing) Johnny Cash and Colter Wall.
For modern country, these are songs you sit silently by a fire finishing a Busch Light. Luckily for Hoffman, he recently turned 21 to legally enjoy a drink.
“This is one of my most popular songs. I wrote it when I was 16. It’s about a gambling addiction.”
The sea of trucker hats and back tattoos laughed as he played Lady Luck and Bonfire Blues.
The juxtaposition of Vincent Neil Emerson’s band highlighted the genre’s duality—high fired and in sync. As the band launched into a blues riff, Emerson strutted onto the stage, greeted the crowd with pleasantries about KCMO, and, almost immediately, picked up the lead on The Great Highway.
While NVE is labeled ‘country,’ he and his band draw on blues, folk, and rock. His contemporary sound is shaped by Steve Earle, with down-to-earth songwriting inspired by Townes Van Zandt. Letters on the Marquee, 25 & Wastin’ Time, and his latest single, Living in the Past, showcase this style.
Emerson called back to his East Texas roots and Louisiana family, highlighted by his broad southern accent. Midway through the set, he uses this drawl to send his band off and perform a solo set.
Above all, Neil Vincent Emerson is a storyteller. Each song opens with remarks of what Emerson was doing when he wrote the songs–whether it is getting too drunk in Louisiana, playing in Texas’ venues with Colter Wall, or swapping Lefty Frizelle songs. Each story was enriched with the upbeat fingerpicking he was laying down.
It’s rare for a concert at Knuckleheads to finish without the performer mentioning the nearby train tracks (and often accompanying noise). Emerson took this observation one step further and ended his acoustic songs with a cover of Elizabeth Cotten’s Freight Train. Emerson gave the time to describe the origin of the folk legend’s famous song, paving the way for Piedmont Blues. As Emerson was finishing the final solo song, somebody rushed the stage to kiss him. Vincent Neil Emerson’s dog frantically made his way to the stage to be reunited for a couple of scratches. With the whole gang together (and dog safely back in the green room), the band sends the crowd off with a cover of Ophelia by The Band and some tight riffs on Roadrunner.
