One of the most overused phrases in the music industry is "underrated treasure" so I'm hesitant to use it here. But in very few cases does it fit more aptly than it does in the case of David Olney. Olney is one of those singer-songwriters who is a virtual unknown to the general public while being considered a must-see to his peers.
No less than the late songwriting legend Townes Van Zandt listed David Olney as one of his favorite songwriters, ranking him alongside Lightning Hopkins and Bob Dylan, saying "Dave Olney is one of the best songwriters I've ever heard- and that's true. I mean that from my heart." Obviously, plenty of other notable Nashville musicians agree with Van Zandt's assessment. Olney's songs have been covered by Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash, Linda Ronstadt, and Del McCoury among others.
OIney's latest album is Dutchman's Curve, released in April of this year. While not a concept album, Dutchman's Curve takes its inspiration from what is described in the liner notes as the "worst train wreck in American history" in 1918. From this unlikely tale of suffering an pain comes a collection of 13 songs that manage to capture the oft-used cliche of the train as a metaphor for freedom while retaining a bit of the pain, anguish, and heartbreak invoked by the imagery of that long ago train wreck.
Dave Olney's voice sounds a little more world-weary than it did when he debuted in the early 80's, but his songs have also adapted so his voice fit them like a well-broken in glove.
If you'd like to see David Olney perform songs off Dutchman's Curve and the rest of his storied career, he will be performing an Americana Music Festival Showcase on Thursday, September 9 at The Rutledge. Olney will perform at 10PM, sharing a stage with multi-instrumentalists Tommy Emmanuel and Will Kimbrough.
The Nashville Festivals Examiner will be covering the entire Americana Music Festival, Conference, and Awards all week. Click Subscribe at the top of the page to get daily updates or subscribe to my Twitter Feed to get real-time updates from the showcases.
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