As the holiday season approaches, musicians are adjusting their schedules to spread some cheer. From Christmas albums to holiday-themed performances, there is always a way to add something a little special to this time of year when it comes to music. On the night of Saturday the 17th, The Donut Whole hosted two performers who wanted to do just that. Aaron Lee Martin and Elliot Road arrived with their banjos and acoustic guitars to put on a show for a packed house, and they delivered in every aspect.
To begin the show was Martin, who set it off on a high note with his immensely powerful song "Concrete Jungle", a crowd favorite. Martin is known for his bluegrass roots and a modern alternative punch. From there the show followed a simple three song switch off between Martin and Elliot Road. This set up proved effective as it gave both musicians ample time to perform, rest up (perhaps enjoy a donut), and then come back with rejuvenated voices.
Elliot Road, a more fundamentally folk group composed of brothers James and John Beasley, added a bit of twang to the room as they performed their own selection of tracks. A definite high of the evening was their performance of "Surround You", a simple but catchy song with a chorus that undoubtedly stayed in the head of the crowd throughout the night.
After each performer had their three song sets completed, they came together to play some Christmas tunes. A crowd pleaser was the choice of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" at the beginning of the set. The house hummed with the soft singing of the onlookers and conjured a definite warm, holiday feeling.
Both performers put on fantastic shows and provided a warm retreat from the harsh cold outside, something most appreciated in this season's unforgiving assault. Aaron Lee Martin has released a small, affordable Christmas album entitled The Gift of Man, which was sold at the show and will assumedly be up for purchase at future performances.
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