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“I’m comfortable
with darkness. I don’t know if it’s because I was scared of the dark when I was
a kid and have become
 fascinated with it later in life, but it leaves a lot to
the imagination.” Atlanta-based songwriter Drew de Man recently offered this
explanation of why darkness, both physical and emotional, is so prominent in the
subject matter of his songs. But don’t be afraid - in probing the darker side of
the human experience, Drew helps us cope with our own demons, even reach the
point of joy, by pointing out that, well, things could be a lot worse. Many
great songwriters before him (Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Hank Williams, to
name a few) have used this approach to great effect.
Musically, de Man’s
compositions take us on backcountry roads through the heart of America
that are clearly new and strange, but always end up bringing us to
familiar and wonderful places. If we explore these roads long enough, we
may find that they connect Austin and Nashville.
The band that
performs these compositions plays with such finesse and selfless
cooperation that they sound like a well-mixed studio recording even when
playing live. No River City consists of Drew providing driving rhythm
guitar and energetic vocals, Eric “Chach” Amata playing tasty guitar
licks and mandolin, Nathan Green adding flavor with keyboard, accordion,
vocals and mandolin, Chris Poma on bass, and Mark Carbone on drums. With
both an EP and a full-length album due out this year, they are touring
extensively throughout the US. If you catch this show at Union Hall
Theater, you may one day be able to boast, “I heard them before they
made it big, in this great little hall in Chesterhill, Ohio!”
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