True Blue Amazes Seville Quarter

It was a night of raw, unbridled southern blues when TRUE BLUE entertained the crowd at Seville Quarter's Lili Marlene's.

There's a plethora of blues bands and artists here on the emerald coast. One such band, name of TRUE BLUE out of Gulf Breeze Florida showed us how to bring the blues to Pensacola.

D-Lady and I enjoy the blues and do so appreciate when we can see blues acts when they come to Pensacola. This calm, mild night was no exception though I was solo on this night of musical blues excursion. Now, I knew this band by name as I had seen Facebook posts announcing their shows around the coastal area. However, I had not yet had the opportunity to see this trio perform live... I was so very glad I did.

This seasoned trio of blues professionals commanded instant respect from the moment the very first note resonated amongst the walls of Lili Marlene's.

Let's talk about TRUE BLUE's leader, guitarist and lead vocalist, Nate Smith. Nate, owner of ARC Music in Gulf Breeze fronts the band with his outstanding guitar playing prowess. I have certainly seen and played with many lead men, but I have to say, I was impressed with the way Nate played his guitar, seemingly, as an extension of his soul. Whether he was strumming a rhythm, picking bad ass lead licks, or making it scream, wail or cry... Nate brought the business end of his instrument, and put it right in our faces!

Travis Jackson, the bands drummer and vocalist gave me a drum lesson! This man has an amazing ability to sub divide time! I was impressed with the chops Travis produced while keeping an impeccable, consistent beat with his bandmates. Being a singing drummer myself, I particularly enjoyed his vocals, all while not missing a beat. Thanks for the lesson Travis!

The bottom was well served by Bryan Jollie, the bands bass man. Laid back and cool, Bryan played his parts with relative ease as he either picked some tasty licks, or mondo runs that set Bryan apart from other younger players. He showed us all how a seasoned player hangs with the band. Though not a singer, Bryan excelled with his pickin and slappin techniques that put him in the drivers seat with his bandmate and drummer Travis Jackson.

There's no doubt this band knows how to bring the blues! I wish to pay attention to the way TRUE BLUE paid homage to many iconic blues artists. They covered Albert Collins, and performed an outstanding version of "Whipping Post" by The Allman Brothers! Each number they played exuded their own unique style. One such song was SRV's "VOODOO CHILE". Nate wrote in some tasty breaks where none exists in the original to make the tune their very own... outstanding!

They went on to cover Albert King, Tommy Castro, Muddy Waters and Tab Benoit just to name a few. We really enjoyed "Shaky Ground " by Delbert McClinton, a number I've played many times, but not at all like TRUE BLUE brought it! Should you get an opportunity to see TRUE BLUE, I highly recommend you do! If you love the blues, and enjoy high energy entertainment, this is one definitely NOT one to miss!

Thank you very kindly indeed for reading my review of TRUE BLUE! Please take time to subscribe to Weekly Show Alerts at scenepensacola.com for concert announcements and band alerts when your band comes to our area. In a band? Solo act? Get on our Band Directory and list your shows! We publish a monthly show calendar that YOU could be featured in!

The Beatman... has left the review... KTB!