The Sad Cowboys of Rock and Roll

Have you ever wanted to take a peek into the minds of sad cowboys? You’re in luck because we got the chance to do just that. On April 16, 2023, singer-songwriter Dylan Smucker and alternative/indie musician Van Andrew took the stage at Acme Feed and Seed in Downtown Nashville. For those unfamiliar with Nashville, Acme is a restaurant and bar that is a hub for local musicians to get out there and show off their amazing talents. Dylan Smucker headlined this show with a 2-hour-long set and was accompanied by a 30-minute intermission performance by Van Andrew.

Dylan Smucker took the stage at approximately 7 P.M. His stage presence is enchanting, to say the least. His sound is all-encompassing of the classic Americana genres. Think Hank Williams, Jr., Willie Nelson mixed with some Elvis Presley and a hint of Buddy Holly. Dylan’s sound will transport you right back to the late ’50s. It is a refreshing resurgence of a sound that seems to have been forgotten over time. The emotion that shows in his voice and expressions is unmistakable. The pure emotions put into his music and performance are totally immersive. The pure emotions paint a picture with depth and layers to uncover.

He opened with Hot Cups of Coffee, a beautiful song about being with the person you love. Following this, he introduced himself as well as his band: Jason Munday on drums, Julio Matos on bass, and Brett Resnik on the steel guitar. Each member brought their own sense of style and talent to the stage, bringing the whole performance together. They were all truly amazing at their craft, bringing with them their own experiences. Dylan even mentioned how Brett Resnik has performed at the infamous Ryman Auditorium located in Nashville. The accompanying band helped bring the music to life.

Then, they continued on with their set, going into his song Get Your Heart Broken. This tune is sorrowful, alluding to a past love finding someone new. He followed that up with I’m So Blue, a sort of self-pity song about not having the one you love by your side anymore, and being afraid of trying to start again with a new partner. This track is also one of Dylan’s more popular songs in his discography and is gaining some traction across social media platforms. Little Shack was the following track going into Two Doobies. Two Doobies is a more upbeat tune that provides the right amount of juxtaposition to the previous songs to bring the energy back up. This upbeat energy goes into a cover of Mama Tried originally performed by Merle Haggard, as well as a cover of Streets of Laredo notoriously performed by Marty Robbins. These two covers were perfectly executed and were a major look into Dylan’s sound and writing inspirations. Following these inspired covers were more titles, such as Cattle Call, Lock My Heart, and She Keeps Me Tender ending the first half of Dylan’s set.

Halfway through Dylan Smucker’s performance, friend and fellow singer-songwriter, Van Andrew took the stage. Van Andrew can be described as an alternative/indie artist with hints of Western influence. Despite it being a 30-minute set, as soon as he took the stage, you did not want to miss a single second of it. After a short introduction about himself, he began his set with one of his more popular songs in his discography: Outlaw, a song that seemingly has something for everyone - a modern Western tune that goes from melancholic low-range vocals into a vocally sound and complex chorus. Immediately, the crowd was highly impressed by his performance. This was a strong start, but it was only up from there.

He continued his set by performing two unreleased tracks: Strawberry Lemonade and Hollywood Dream. These two tracks brought the energy back up in the venue as they were sweet, lighthearted melodies. These two tracks provided the perfect amount of juxtaposition to their preceding track. These two songs are definitely ones to keep your eyes and ears out for when they are released. Following these two new tunes was a very familiar song, especially for lovers of the early 2000s pop-punk music scene. Van Andrew performed his own rendition of the song Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus. Those in the audience who immediately recognized this song lit up with excitement. It wasn’t a cover that was expected, but it definitely lifted the energy in the establishment.

Finally, he closed out his set with his most well-known song that has blown up across the popular social media platform TikTok: Sad Cowboys and Rock and Roll. This song is the perfect balance of a hopeless romantic tune set in the troubled and tremulous society that we are in today. This song features hard-hitting lyricism mixed with sweet nothings that represent just wanting to get away and hide from the chaos with the person you love. It is no wonder why this song has blown up across social media networks. It is truly a unifying tune, and that was represented by the crowd’s reaction to the song. Despite Van Andrew only being accompanied by an acoustic guitar, this set felt like the full experience due to his phenomenal vocal talents, as well as his incredible technique and use of an acoustic guitar. Truthfully, if you see Van Andrew playing a show near you, we highly recommend checking him out.

After the incredible intermission performance by Van Andrew, Dylan Smucker returned to the stage to finish out his set. The crowd waited with anticipation for the second half of his performance to start. He started off with his original song Old Letters. This is the title track to Dylan’s 2019 album, Old Letters. This song holds beautifully somber lyricism and vocals. In this track, he also shows off some of his masterful higher vocal range. The track is a heartfelt description of a past relationship. Later on in the set, he performed another one of his original songs titled La Bête. This track holds a bit more of a complex melody with a different twist on what we have heard from the rest of his discography thus far. After this track, he goes on to play the tracks Fantasy and Larghetto Amore. This led to his performance of Love Me Till I Die. This is a sweet love melody that balances out the desolate heartbreak tunes he had previously played. The song also shows off more of Dylan's astonishing vocal talents, as it is more of a ballad than his aforementioned songs.

Ensuing this song was Dylan’s performance of Goodnight Cruel World, this piece holds a much more dismal tune. Dylan prefaced this song by saying it was a song he had written at a very low point in his life and described it as a premeditated goodbye to the world. As soon as he started performing, there was an immediate crowd response. It was apparent that this song struck a chord with some of the audience members. It was a beautifully intimate and personal song that was an honor to hear performed, as it was an incredibly vulnerable and truthful track. Several audience members had tears in their eyes, seeming to personally feel what Dylan felt while writing this song. During the final songs of Dylan’s set, he pulled out the electric guitar. Immediately, the energy in the venue changed. The presence of the electric guitar brought out the liveliness of the crowd once again. Dylan continued into a jaw-dropping blues performance. He performed an electric rendition of his latest released single Hot Nights, which is an excellent track, conveying a compelling need to have a specific person by his side. Frankly, you could not pull your eyes away from the stage as he also pulled out some moves very reminiscent of a young Elvis Presley, which was only fitting as he performed his own rendition of Hound Dog, famously performed by Presley himself, but originally written and sung by Big Mama Thornton.

From the beginning of the night until the very end, members of the audience had a wonderful experience. Dylan and Van provided a pleasurable and unifying environment with some crowd interaction. Some audience members even got up to dance with friends, their partners, or even alone. Everyone that was in attendance for these performances at Acme Feed and Seed appeared to have a very delightful night, soaking in the alluring sounds coming from these brilliant musicians.

These performances by Dylan Smucker and Van Andrew were incredibly immersive and full of musical talent. The mixture of Dylan’s music and Van’s musical style was the perfect combination to make for a magical night. The intimate set made you feel like you were the only person in the room. Going from feeling like you were being transported back in time with Dylan’s musical stylings, to being brought back with the modern world with western-inspired tunes from Van. If you get the chance to see either of these very talented individuals, we highly recommend going and supporting these amazing performers!

Co-written By: Delaney Hamilton & Teddie McCord