Modern South Made Us Look Good

Sunday evening's Modern South Music Festival filled Hemingbough Events Center with life and put its tremendous potential on show. Drawn by the promise of hearing critically acclaimed band The Avett Brothers perform in one of the state's loveliest outdoor settings, thousands of fans streamed in from Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and all over Louisiana and settled in for an evening of truly spectacular music. David St. Romain warmed up the crowd, and Nashville's Charlie Worsham and Texas singer/songwriter Wade Bowen laid on superb sets as the afternoon wore on and the sun set over the lakes, woods, and gardens that make Hemingbough unique. But the evening belonged to the Avett Brothers.

With their inimitable blend of homegrown folk, rock energy, bluegrass, and indie pop charm, brothers Scott (banjo) and Seth (guitar) Avett, double bassist Bob Crawford, cellist Joe Kwon, and drummer Mike Marsh reached out from the big Hemingbough stage and grabbed every audience member by heart and hand and never let us go. Driven by virtuoso musicianship and tight vocal harmonies that channel bluegrass greats from times gone by, The Avetts play energetic, infectious, beautifully performed Americana that drags you to your feet and makes you want to jump up and down. This is seriously feel-good stuff. At one point I turned to look back at the crowd and five thousand people were grinning from ear to ear.

Presented by Anchorline Events of Nashville and sponsored by Visit Baton Rouge, Louisiana Office of Tourism, Tiger 100.7 FM and Country Roads, the Modern South Music Fest presented St. Francisville at its very best and made us proud to show it off and to call it home. Organizers Adria DeLaune and Sari Caspar hope to establish Modern South as an annual music festival returning in November 2014. Let's hope they do.