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I've purposely delayed writing about this specific band for a little over a week now.  Dallas, Texas' own Cadillac Sky played for no more than twenty people at Juanita's last week.  It's a very rare occasion that a band wows me so much that I don't say anything right off the bat, which is an amazing feeling. 

Cadillac Sky is a five man strong powerhouse of a band.  They bring mandolin, banjo, fiddle, and lap steel to the table, just to name a few of their huge arsenal of instruments.  Together, these men comprise one of the most entertaining and vibrant, non-traditional bluegrass bands I have ever seen.  I've been exposed to my fair share of bluegrass being from the South, but this was literally the best form I've seen to date.

Mixing a righteous amount of funk and a handful of indie stylings, Cadillac Sky has blended three superb genres of music in to one that left the audience in a jaw dropping stupor.  We all agreed when they finished their set that we wanted more, but tour deadlines and a late night weren't conducive to this desire.  I'm just thankful I had the distinct pleasure to see them.

I knew from the first mandolin heavy song of their set that I'd like them.  With very little exposure to the group before the show, I wasn't quite sure what I was getting in to.  Add a banjo player who can pluck catchy, funk riffs from the traditional instrument, and you have all the fixings to make a band that awed me.

Bryan Simpson was the predominate lead vocalist, but duties were shared with David Mayfield, Jessica Lea's brother.  However, don't let the famous sister throw you for a loop, David most definitely held his own and kept the Mayfield name untarnished.  These guys are so talented to the point where I kept wondering what they would do next.  All five of the guys were multi-instrumentalists as far as I could see, and one could never guess which guy would play what instrument next.  By this point, my mind has officially been blown in the best possible way.

To cinch the deal, and make me a fan for the long haul, Simpson did a heart stopping, beautifully poignant rendition of Death Cab For Cutie's, "I Will Follow You In To The Dark."  I am not a huge Death Cab fan, but I have heard Ben Gibbard's version and must say Simpson left him in his wake.  The guys went unplugged, including no mic, and time seemingly stopped for those three and a half minutes.  It was a beautiful cover, and I'll leave it at that.

These men have been busy with three CD's and an EP to their name.  They are currently touring in support of their newest endeavor produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. I'm anxiously awaiting the new CD, and I know several of the people who were at the show with me are also thrilled for it to be released. I wish these humble and gifted musicians the best of luck for the future and can only wait and hope that they will come back through town to wow some more people. 

-L

(Photo from Cadillacsky.net)