Went home this weekend. My dad needed a new television, so we ended up at the Wal-Mart of greater metropolitan Fort Oglethorpe. A frightening place. While we were weighing our options and waiting for unseen product to be retrieved from a secret back room — there is another story here, actually — I noticed something in the CD aisle.
Featuring the combined talents of Jennifer Nettles, Kristen Hall and Kristian Bush, Sugarland is a verifiable super group. The fact that they all came up through the Atlanta music scene of the 1990s makes it even sweeter. So spotting them on top of the CDs in my hometown Wal-Mart was more special than a department store sighting ought to be. I had to buy it.
Nettles used to be half of Soul Miner’s Daughter — some might say the better half. While any show at Eddie’s Attic used to be relatively worthwhile, SMD shows were something just this side of a holy revival. More than once did I stake out the door at Eddie’s on a show-day afternoon, just to make sure I was there at 4pm to reserve my entry four or five hours later.
The first time I saw Kristen Hall was at a David Wilcox show. He was playing the Variety Playhouse and she opened. Later, she joined him. Her songs were honest, poignant, funny. And with that, I added her to my list of local must-sees.
I’ve never seen a Billy Pilgrim show. Even still, one of my prized CD possessions is pre-Billy Pilgrim release by band founders Andrew Hyra & Kristian Bush called St Christopher’s Crossing.
I thought about going into the evolution of this musical goodness, but why? Let the songs tell a story.
- Andrew Hyra & Kristian Bush – “For Kim’s Sake” (1991)
- Kristen Hall – “Let It Rain” (1994)
- Jennifer Nettles – “Story of Your Bones” (2000)
- Kristian Bush – “Only You” (2002)
- Sugarland – “Baby Girl” (2004)
(As usual, right-click and save these songs locally before playing. And if you like what you hear, go buy the CD.)
