For thirty-eight years, Nick Hexum has remained a frontman of 311; he also has a solo project, which began with his 2013 album My Shadow Pages, released under The Nick Hexum Quintet.
Last year he released a new Americana-style LP (Phases Of Hope And Hollow) and three EPs (Waxing Nostalgic, Full Memories, Waning Time).
On a rainy Wednesday, April 1, Hexum treated fans to an extraordinary solo acoustic set, backed by quintet Water Tower, at A&R Music Bar in Columbus, Ohio—the first time in Columbus as a solo artist since 2014.
The dynamic vocalist, guitarist, songwriter performed a slew of originals, a few 311 songs from the band’s 14-album catalogue (including soothing, stripped down versions of “Champagne” and “Amber”) and a few mainstream covers (including a stellar version of Chappell Roan’s “California” and a unique bluegrass version of Turnstile’s “Blue By You”).
Prior to performing his original song “Cosmic Connection,” Hexum introduced it: “I think it’s time to start looking at each other’s similarities, instead of differences. Remember unity?”
Hexum went on to introduce most of the set’s songs, which often referred to his family and growing up in Omaha, Nebraska.
Just a few of the storyteller intros included: “1978,” a nostalgic song he wrote with his poet sister about their childhood; a cover of The Everly Brothers’ “All I Have To Do Is Dream,” which he dedicated to his dad for surrounding him with rock culture; and a heartfelt aside about when he met and collaborated with Ben Kweller, before he performed the duo’s co-written song “Please Explain.”
Before Hexum’s performance, L.A.’s talented and energetic Water Tower kicked the evening off with a facially animated set of good ‘ol, down home, hootin’ and hollerin’ tunes—harmonious vocal twang with strums, fast picking and plucking of strings: guitar, banjo, fiddle, dobro, mandolin.
The quintet performed a 45-minute set which included a punk-rock bluegrass song recorded with Mike Herrera of MxPx, titled “Drink Smoke” as well as an exceptional bluegrass rendition of Foo Fighters’ “Hero.”
Water Tower engaged the crowd and humorously encouraged the pit formation of a “circle of love” in the spirit of a “wall of death,” in which a brief hoedown of square dancing commenced.
Overall, a fun, memorable, talent-filled concert from start to finish that showed an autobiographical side of Nick Hexum.
Tour Dates
https://www.nickhexum.com/tour/
NICK HEXUM (click to enlarge)
WATER TOWER (click to enlarge)
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