Corb Lund with Jaida Dreyer: Spending Some Time at The Mercury Lounge
November 19, 2019, Tulsa, OK, The Mercury Lounge
Corb Lund made his way back to The Mercury Lounge of Tulsa a couple of nights back and while it wasn’t his first time playing the venue, it was the first time he’s performed there with his full band, “The Hurtin’ Albertans.”
Joining Lund as both the opening performer and accompaniment for a few songs, Jaida Dryer kicked the evening off with her unmistakable signature twang-brimmed sound, singing songs that shoulder stories about all things country music and then some!
All Photos By Melissa Payne
Most of y’all know her as the inaugural winner on USA Network’s reality TV show “Real Country,” but Dryer’s been around Nashville for a bit and has several songwriting credits to her name. Songs she’s written have been recorded by Tim McGraw & Faith Hill (“Sleeping in the Stars”) and Luke Bryan (“Home Alone Tonight”), and she’s featured on a song she wrote with Josh Morningstar (Jerry Lee). She’s written several songs for ABC’s Nashville and recently had the song she wrote with Park Chisholm (“The Killer”) featured on Yellowstone.
Jaida’s spent most of her life showing and riding horses. She says it’s that competitive and sometimes rough background that has given her the life experiences to compose the songs she does and unapologetically sing about topics that are arguably just recently coming to the forefront of country music: discrimination/chauvinism, women who create their own paths, and men who try to discourage that. She’s not afraid to speak her mind or sing about topics she’s passionate about.
Not long after Jaida’s exit, Lund, an eight-time Canadian Country Music Awards Roots Artist of the Year, and his band, took the stage to a sold-out crowd and opened his set with the spirited “Bible on the Dash,” a song from his 2012 release Cabin Fever. Lund has more than a half dozen studio albums under his belt and recently released the EP Cover Your Tracks, providing him with a large selection of songs to perform.
We all sang along to “Gettin’ Down on the Mountain” and “I Wanna Be In The Cavalry.” Folks who sat on the sidelines most of the night were brought to their feet with “Good Copenhagen,” “Cows Around,” and “Rye Whiskey/Time to Switch to Whiskey.” Jaida joined back in the mix to sing a couple of songs, including one that she and Lund co-wrote, “Horse Poor,” set to be on his upcoming album, which will be released in late spring/early summer of next year.
He also performed “90 Seconds of Your Time.” It’s a song he wrote for and about one of his veteran friends, and “Tattoo Blues, No Regrets,” both expected to be released on his new album. But, perhaps the greatest surprise of the evening was his premiere of his new song, “Oklahomans!”
When I sat down with Corb he told me that the Tulsa, Oklahoma area is one of his favorite places to stop. He said that during his many years in the industry and touring, that Tulsa has always afforded him new friendships each time he visits, the folks around here “really appreciate his music” AND…dive bar crowds are truly his scene. The crowds at The Mercury have always proved him right. “Oklahomans!” is an ode written to his time spent and friends made in the state. Native to Canada, Lund and his band find themselves extensively touring the States and most often spend the majority of that tour in “the south” (Texas, Oklahoma and some of the surrounding states).
When I asked what should I expect during the show tonight, he said it’ll not be what’s expected. Stating that even though his recent release Cover Your Tracks, an EP solely comprised of covers from other artists, which has long been on his radar as a compilation of cover’s he and “The Hurtin’ Albertans” have performed live over the years, most of the evening’s show will be fan favorites and songs from his extensive discography. He told me that they no longer even perform off of a set list and that the band has just become accustomed to watching for his “baseball-like hand signals” and just knowing what song is coming up next. He calls it “doing what he feels like doing” and it’s somewhat become the lay of the land for independent artists these days.
As I watched through the night, he did indeed signal to the band what song to expect next and only performed one cover for the evening, “The Cover of the Rolling Stone,” during encore. At one point in the evening, making light of the sign posted side stage that reads. “Attention Bands: More than three covers in a set and your show will be over,” calling it “an interesting situation” to be touring on an album based on covers, yet only performing one.
Judging from the fans who were already gathering and dancing at sound check and the fans that stuck around to share a drink with Corb, Jaida, and the band afterwards, I’d call the night one for the Mercury’s record books and one that all in attendance for the evening will not soon forget.
Jaida Dreyer:
Corb Lund:
Melissa Payne: