Ridgway Summer Concert Series, Week 1 - Sol Driven Train with Blair Crimmins & The Hookers
Sol Driven Train’s music weaves through genres like images in a Tom Robbins paragraph. The band’s playful sonic schizophrenia absorbs songwriting influences like John Prine and Paul Simon, Afro-Caribbean rhythmic explorations, and funky New Orleans-style brass into earnest songs of life, love, loss, and long johns. The versatile 6-piece band, based in Charleston, SC, features rotating lead vocalists, and multi-instrumental talent spread across horns, strings, and percussion. Combining rich varieties of American pop and folk music into their own brass-kickin’ roots rock sound, Sol Driven Train has carved out a unique musical identity within the Jam and Americana music scene.
Blair Crimmins began his current music career in Atlanta, Georgia, with a determination to bring Ragtime and 1920’s style Dixieland Jazz to new audiences. What he created was a sound that is at once modern while being deeply rooted in the past. Now four years, and five hundred shows later, he has toured the Eastern United States playing large venues and has opened for national acts such as Mumford & Sons and Preservation Hall Jazz Band. A multi-instrumentalist and music academic, Crimmins writes songs and arrangements for a classic New Orleans style horn section consisting of Trumpet, Clarinet, Trombone. His debut release “The Musical Stylings Of” became a college radio sensation on WRAS Atlanta making him the most requested band on the air. His last release and video “State Hotel” landed them a full feature in Creative Loafing Atlanta. In 2012 Crimmins showed his musical diversity by writing and recording the full score for the independent short film “Old Man Cabbage”. The following year, Crimmins was the critics pick for Best Song Writer of 2013 in Creative Loafing’s Best of ATL issue. Blair Crimmins now continues touring this year to support his newest studio album entitled “Sing-a-longs”, a break through record which showcases a band who have polished their signature sound from years of touring.
Recorded Thursday, July 2nd, 2015, Ridgway Town Park
