Concert Review: The Tan And Sober Gentlemen (Haw River Ballroom)

Tan and Sober Gentlemen
BY MARK DOLEJS

The Tan and Sober Gentlemen brought their A-game to the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw Friday night. The night was a special night, it was their live album release party from a show recorded at the ballroom last year.

Alan Best, Ben Noblit, and Courtney Barefoot
If you aren’t familiar with this band, they are kind of hard to describe. They are a mix of bluegrass, Irish Pub, punk, folk, Celtic, and overall just a big `ol party band.

Alan Best, Ben Noblit, Tucker Galloway, and Eli Howells
They are also one of the most active bands that I have ever seen on stage. It’s rare to catch them for more than a moment standing in one place. But, with all the crazy energy on stage, including moshing amongst themselves, their sound is tight, very tight.

Ben Noblit, Jake Waits (drums), and Courtney Barefoot
The band consists of Courtney Barefoot on vocals and guitar, Tucker Galloway on vocals, banjo and guitar, Ben Noblit on bass, Alan Best on mandolin and accordion, Jake Waits on drums, and Eli Howells on fiddle.

Courtney Barefoot, Ben Norblit, Tucker Galloway, and Eli Howells
The Tan and Sober Gentlemen are all from Alamance County. And one thing that is obvious is how close they are to each other. It is easy to see not only by their music, but by their rapport and interaction with each other both on stage and off.

The many faces of Courtney Barefoot
Barefoot is a joy to watch and listen to. Her facial expressions are crazy as she belts out lyrics. It looks like she reaches deep down in her gut to pull out some of the vocals that emit from her petite but muscular body.

Eli Howells on fiddle
Donning a black cowboy hat, Galloway commands his banjo with finesse and skill while transporting the audience with his powerful voice. Even though he is a local guy from Eli Whitney, every now and then you hear an Irish accent creep in on a couple of the Celtic songs.

Jake Waits on drums
The band played a couple of their original songs, including “Happiness Ain’t Happening,” “Here,” and “Barbed Wire.” Most of the night was a great mix of their interpretations of time-honored traditional songs like, “Lanigan’s Ball” and the night’s opener, “If I Should Fall From Grace With God.”

Ben Noblit stands on his bass during "Foggy Dew"
Courtney Barefoot carried the night with several songs on lead vocals, including “Hot Asphalt” and “You Never Even Called Me By My Name.” She was also a key part of set ender “Foggy Dew,” an Irish fight song from the early 1900s. Upright bass player, Ben Noblit, stood on his bass for part of this song and at one point ended up holding a prosthetic leg that was handed to him from the crowd.

Eli Howells accompanies Tucker Galloway on "Postcards and Letters"
I think my favorite point in the night was the quietest point in the show. The band left the stage leaving Tucker Galloway with a new guitar that he is still breaking in, and Eli Howells with his fiddle.

Tan and Sober Gentlemen
As Galloway introduced his song, “Postcards and Letters,” he shared that he recently celebrated four years sober. He talked about the song being a little autobiographical, but also written for one of his close friends and for the many friends that have passed, from their addictions. Midway through the song, with heavy emotions and frustration with the guitar, he stopped the song, and the band returned to the stage.

Ben Noblit
If you haven’t caught a show with these guys, now is the time! They will be playing in Asheboro on March 14th, and in Winston-Salem on March 16th, for Saint Patrick’s Day weekend. And, if you don’t have a blast at a Tan and Sober Gentlemen show, you must not have a pulse!

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MARK DOLEJS

Photography is an avenue that Mark Dolejs uses to learn about the people and places that cross his path. After more than 30 years as a photojournalist, Mark enjoys concert, macro, and roadside photography. Follow Mark on Instagram at @solidrockpix.

Read Mark's posts here.