Even in their origins as a bluegrass-oriented band, North Carolina’s Chatham County Line always emphasized songcraft and lyrics. It comes naturally to their lead singer, guitarist, and principal lyricist, Dave Wilson, whose mother is the noted poet Dede Wilson.
That’s not to disparage their picking skills: They’re terrific players. But it makes sense, given these tendencies and their influences, that they’ve evolved toward Americana and even rock, incorporating electric guitar and drums, without abandoning John Teer’s graceful mandolin and fiddle. On Thursday evening at Jammin’ Java, CCL proved once again what a great band they truly are.
Dave shared that the band has a new album coming out in February, and they gave the audience a preview of some of the songs on it. One is “about that funny smell outside of concerts;” if you know, you know. He described another as the “most personal song I’ve written,” inspired by a girl he knew in seventh grade. The song drew me back into my own memories of that time and my junior high crush, and what a clueless putz I used to be.
Stream the most recent album by Chatham County Line — 2024’s Hiyo — via Spotify:
“Molly Hardin,” which they’d never played before, was inspired by reading about 19th-century outlaw John Wesley Hardin and his daughter, Molly, in a “cheap paperback” called Western Badmen. (Hardin also inspired one of Bob Dylan’s best albums.) Dave thought, “he was probably a shit father,” and he wrote the song “to inspire you dads to do better.” It’s a shame this hasn’t been recorded, because I’m visiting my dad over Labor Day, and the man is a real piece of work.
CCL started their first set with “Right On Time.” After “Out of the Running,” Wilson introduced “Porcelain Doll” as “a soft one.” The set also included “Stone,” “Wildwood,” and “The Traveler,” wrapping up with the title track of their most recent album, 2024’s Hiyo. I’m not sure which song they began with in the second set; the ADHD is powerful at night, and it took me a minute to lock in. But I did catch that the next couple of songs were “Way Down Under” and “Strange Fascination,” which lends its title to the album they released in May of 2020, at the height of the COVID pandemic lockdown. “Jackie Boy” was a tough listen for me because I get emotional about dogs.
They followed “Jackie Boy” with “Birmingham County Jail,” after which Dave commented on how “It’s a weird world” and “we’re just holding on.” CCL, he noted, has been together for 27 years, and he’s glad they’re still able to make and share their art. And, even after more than a quarter-century, they’re still continuing to grow, pushing into new lyrical and musical ground. They finished the second set with “Crop Comes On,” then came back for an encore of “The Carolinian,” paying homage to their home state, and finishing the show with “BSR.”
I hadn’t seen CCL in a number of years, and this August 27 show reminded me just how much I enjoy them. The new songs they shared are excellent, and I’m really looking forward the new album in February.
