Green River Ordinance, Andy Davis and Martin Harley take over World Cafe
When I saw that Green River Ordinance would be in Philadelphia, I was more than excited to see them twice in the same year. Add to this that they were playing one of my new favorite venues and had two amazing opening acts booked, and it was the makings of a great night. With a snow/sleet/rain mix pouring from the sky through the day, fears of a cancelled show loomed; but I knew deep down that it would all work out. Around 6.30pm, we headed to the venue to chat with Josh Jenkins and Geoff Ice of Green River Ordinance prior to the show. An interview with Andy Davis was to come later on in the evening.
Showing up to the venue, we heard the tail end of Martin Harley’s soundcheck and I knew from the few minutes I heard that he was going to put
on a great show. At 8pm, he took to the stage and sat with lap-based slide guitar. On stage alone, it can be possible that the audience gets bored after a song or two, but Martin captivated the growing crowd for the whole 30 minutes he was on stage. Playing original music from the debut US solo album, Mojo Fix, as well as a few covers, it was a great start to the show.
Following an incredibly short 15 minute break, Andy Davis was up on stage and ready to go. Beginning the set on piano with the title track from the latest album, “Heartbreak Yellow,” Andy immediately drew in a new group of fans. The constantly growing crowd started to move closer to the stage as they enjoyed the set more and more after each song. During his song “Capital Letters,” Andy decided to throw in random parts of Beyonce songs since the beat worked well. With the crowd laughing, smiling, and singing along, Andy was surely going to leave with more fans. While keeping a light hearted joking attitude with the crowd, he took song requests and sang a spot on rendition of “Unchained Melody.” The 45 minute set was a perfect bridge between Martin and Green River Ordinance. Ending with “Brown Eyes” and joking that a lot of his songs have colors in the name, he left the stage and it was time to get ready for Green River Ordinance.
At 9.45, the band took a stage to the sound of a screaming crowd. Lead singer Josh Jenkins joked about how snow causes everything in their home state of Texas to shut down, but it didn’t stop them from driving in for the show. Playing favorites from Under Fire, the crowd was having just as much fun as the band. About 20 minutes into the set, Josh asked if anyone had been married over 25 years and one woman announced she would be celebrating her 35th anniversary this coming Valentine’s Day. Foreshadowing the night’s events later on, Josh asked her to explain the secret to staying together and love. Following this, he dedicated “Healing Touch” to her and then the show continued on. Around 10:40, the band played a cover of “With a Little Help from My Friends,” and called Andy back out to help finish the song.
With three songs left, Josh called a couple to the stage. While the girl was slightly freaking out and trying to figure what was going on, her boyfriend took to the mic to propose, five years after they had met at the venue. To a round of applause, she said yes and then Josh and the
band dedicated “Dancing Shoes” to the couple as they got the chance to dance on stage. With one song left, the band joked that the proposal was one of the coolest moments on stage for them and that they should just end the show there, but thankfully they didn’t. Closing out the phenomenal set with “Come On,” the crowd cheered and sang along. Rather than get off stage and come back out for the encore, the band decided to completely unplug and come onto the floor in the middle of the crowd to sing “Learning.” With smiles on everyone’s faces, the band put the perfect end on a perfect concert.
Although I have seen the band before and the stage setup hadn’t changed much, this show was completely different from the last. Make sure to catch all three artists whenever they are in your area. It’s a group of talent that should not be overlooked. Photos and interviews are below!
