It’s no secret, I love this band.  Liz, Savannah, Kelly and Jamie form the band  The Trishas.

It was CD release night for High, Wide and Handsome and of course the songs from this long awaited full length CD took center stage.  Looking at the collaborators and co-writes on the record reads like a who’s who of Americana Music. There’s Bruce Robison on Cheater’s Game with Savannah Welch and Liz Foster. There’s Dustin Welch, Jason Eady, Owen Temple,Kevin Welch and one my favorites, Jim Lauderdale.  Oh, and there’s the title track written by Jamie and Natalie Hemby..well the song is Mothers of Invention and a line in the song is High, Wide and Handsome.

Got all that? I know it’s complicated, but please, settle back, enjoy,  and all will come clear once you’ve gotten tuned into the exquisite 4 part harmonies which seem to emanate from their  collective souls and combine into one totally unique symphony of vocal mystery and excellence. Nice CD..well done ladies.

Bringing all that music to the live stage though can be a tough job sometimes but they continue to do it time after time. You’re not going to hear searing fiddle solos or fire-breathing drum solos, but what you are going to hear are the honest reflections of life, love and song as seen through the eyes of all 4
singer-songwriters.

This show was, as I already mentioned,  on the tail end of a successful tour and thusly the seques were polished, but yet the performance maintained that down-home feel that’s become a trademark. If there’s one thing about these ladies, it’s that they are friends and will likely remain so for the rest of their lives. It’s infectious.

The new CD marks a waypoint in their musical path in that the already natural harmonies are more polished, more styled than I’ve seen them before. It shows that they’ve been a band for some 3 years now.  It’s as though the entire catalog has been revamped..and most obviously with some of the songs from the EP. The arrangements blended well with the newer material making the entire show more cohesive…polished.

I tried to get into the Anderson Fair show a week later and couldn’t because of a sellout, but our man Eddie was there and if his comments beat mine to press then I hope you enjoyed his take.

Bottom Line, for an evening of great entertainment with a band that’s second to none, you can’t go wrong with this one. As I have, put The Trishas on your short list of bands to watch because my feeling is that one day, you will be saying “I remember when…”.

Mother of Invention
Honey
Liars and Cheaters
Why
Sweet Little Cigars
16 Tons
She Ain’t Going Nowhere
Strangers
Must Be Time
One Down
Over Forgiving You
Gold n Silver
Trouble About My Soul
So Blue
Drive

Give It Away
Whistling Past The Graveyard
Too Old To Die Young

Day Two: August 18, 2012 – Cactus Music and Anderson Fair
Reviewer: Eddie Ferranti

Got a chance to do a one day double dip with an up-and-coming group of ladies who go by ‘The Trishas’.

Jamie Wilson, Liz Foster, Kelley Mickwee, and Savannah Welch first came together back in 2009 at a tribute concert to Savannah’s pop Kevin. They all had their own personal gigs going and thought this would be a one time deal, but it has blossomed all the way to this current run thru H-Town backing the CD ‘High, Wide & Handsome’. The monikor was culled for the band because they covered a Welch tune that became a score for Trisha Yearwood.

The day started at Cactus Records for a 45 minute set that started at noon. It was nice to see the ladies with their “hair down” and kidders (both Jamie & Savannah have one with Jamie 6 months pregnant now) frolicking about. It is a nice set up with St.Arnold’s providing brew, too.

Rose & I were initially attracted to this band because we had history with Jamie from way back with ‘The Sidehill Gougers’ which led to ‘The Gougers’. She always was THE person in that band and at the latter stages featured Lance Smith, a good guitar dude, who has gone on to do well with Mike Stinson.

‘Little Sweet Cigars’ has her out front and runnin’ and it was done well at both gigs. ‘Cheater’s Game’ was good, too, but Savannah’s voice was out -AS was the PA system- so we longed for the night gig at Anderson Fair.

Anderson Fair is a great setting for the smooth harmonies and oozing talent that pours from The Trishas. Their new CD plays very well live and rock solid moments from it ‘Gold & Silver’, ‘Rainin’ Inside’,  stunning ‘Why’, and our Jamie’s ‘Mothers Of Invention’ stood out big time. ‘One Down’, with the ringing “Set yourself on fire” chorus, stayed with me the next day!

The band took a minute to acknowledge bud Jason Eady who helped pen ‘Over Forgiving You’ and the stellar sweetness of ‘Liars & Fools’.

Speaking of standing out, the backdoor addition of a “5th Trisha”, Canadian Brandy Zdan was a treat! These girls only get better in my book when they play more instruments and keep it on the rockier side and BZ did that and then some. With her talents spellbindingly on display on lap steel, accordian, and guitar she brought this performance to a whole different level. Girl can sing, too, as evidenced by having 3 albums under her belt to date. The thought of her as an up front contributor would be badass indeed!

While this group may be fairly new and trying to find their identify one thing is for sure, they show a maturity that covers a wide cross section of the musical landscape and my hope is to keep the instruments involved along with the incredible silky smooth lyrical talent and not become enamured with a Nashville ladies voice-trap sound only.

When Liz is blowing her sweet harp and this Zdad addition kicks in the sky would be the limit in my eyes. These are a group of down to earth women who put on a genuine show that is far from choreagraphed and hilarious. They are far from being full of themselves evidenced by their banter with the crowd before, during, and after the gig. Nice touch and we here at HMR wish only the best for a shooting star on the Americana music scene. BTW, check out the huge spread the ladies got in the latest Lone Star Music magazine!

Until next time have a nice day in music land!

Eddie “Edge” Ferranti
Senior Editor