I think this is quite awesome. How about this?
Well, how about this? Red Clay Straws frontman Brandon Coleman asked the question a few songs into the band’s performance on Thursday night in Orange Beach. The Wharf Amphitheater’s full house responded enthusiastically.
Made By These Moments, a major-label album, was published in 2024 by the Strays, a band that was formed in Mobile in 2017. The first night of a tripleheader at the largest concert arena in its home region, just a short distance from some of the taverns and restaurants where the group originally began paying its dues, began Thursday’s performance, which was the beginning of one of the most significant occasions a band could experience.
“This is the largest show we have ever performed,” Coleman remarked. It’s quite amazing. Tonight, ten thousand of you are present. The fact that we began here in Orange Beach just adds to its uniqueness. We performed in every available venue in the Wharf, including The Hot Spot, Intracoastal, and [the] Daquiri Bar. After graduating from these establishments, we spent a considerable amount of time playing at the Flora-Bama. Simply put, it feels nice to be here and to be at home. It’s pretty crazy, man—never in our wildest imaginations.
The subject of the evening was the thrill of a rock star’s dream coming true. The Strays brought a full lineup of Alabama acts for this three-night stand. Justin Jeansonne from Mobile and Muscadine Bloodline, another group founded in Mobile, were included on Thursday’s bill. Muscadine Bloodline and Laurie Anne Armour were scheduled to perform on Friday, which was supposed to be another all-Alabama night. Band of Horses and The Revivalists are two non-Alabama bands on Saturday’s roster, along with composer Abe Partridge from the Mobile area.
Jeansonne brought a unique voice to the performance, supported by an intriguing ensemble that included guitarist, keyboardist, and harmonica gunslinger Dayton Olson. She thanked the headliners for giving her the chance to share some of her memories with everyone. As a result, Jeansonne was able to incorporate both dry western twang and swampy blues. Furthermore, Jeansonne returned to the stage later that evening for a performance of Seven Spanish Angels, which many will undoubtedly recall as a highlight, so if the latter appeared to reflect Willie Nelson’s influence, it was most likely no illusion.
As for the Strays, the event marked a homecoming for Muscadine Bloodline’s Charlie Muncaster and Gary Stanton.
Stanton pointed to a location in front of the stage and remarked, “I was sitting about right there in this pit when I saw the Black Crowes at my first concert at the Wharf when I was seventeen years old.” Charlie and I would have thought you were crazy if you had told us, when we were seventeen, that we would get to perform at the Wharf Amphitheater someday. We are grateful that God has allowed us to be here tonight.
Similar to the Strays, Muscadine Bloodline has gained widespread recognition in recent years, and their sound complements each other nicely. Muscadine Bloodline’s music is more closely aligned with upbeat guitar-driven honky-tonk country, whilst the Strays are a roots-rock band that incorporates elements of Southern rock and gospel. In their songs, Muncaster and Stanton also take great pleasure in making allusions to the southwest Alabama landscape.
Muncaster informed the audience that they have been looking forward to this evening for a very long time. We were given a few guitars while we were little and growing up in Mobile, Alabama. Furthermore, we were genuinely unaware that music could be pursued as a [job]. However, you guys have made it possible for us to realize our aspirations each and every time we take the stage.
With the slinky Stone’s Throw, the lighter boogie of She’s No Good, and the twangy, driving Killin Time, the Red Clay Strays created a spectacular arc for their two-hour allotment. Before building to a spectacular finish with an encore that featured the anthemic song “I Just Want To Be Loved” and the song “God Does,” they then moved into the more meditative, gospel-infused section of their repertoire.
Coleman made a lighthearted jab at attempts to categorize the band somewhere in there.
However, many people claim that we play country music, and I don’t agree,” he remarked. We are from the South and are rural people. We play more rock and roll than any other genre; we don’t play country. I’ll give you another country song now.
On a night when all the debts were being paid, it was simple to joke.
According to guitarist Drew Nix, “two times a week, we would drive an hour and a half to get here and play four hours a day, everywhere around here.” We’re here now, performing for you all. Completely insane.
Coleman remarked, “I’m not used to 10,000 people singing our songs.” Very cool.
“Dude, this is awesome,” Coleman exclaimed. Thank you very much, guy. Thankful and grateful. Chris Stapleton was performing here, and we had just finished a gig at The Intracoastal in 2017 or 2018. If you were unaware, you may stroll all the way up to those back bleachers before they stop you, even though we couldn’t afford tickets. Man, we listened to the show while walking all the way to the very back, behind the bleachers.
Then this, he added. This is crazy.
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