Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Country Music Pride

Country Music Pride

3 Cheers for Zac Brown Band ‘Pass the Jar’ DVD

Posted: 14 Jul 2010 07:17 AM PDT

Whether it’s for the booze or an overall good time, they always come to party.

There is nothing more amazing than watching Zac Brown Band perform. And while you can capture a glimpse of their talent by seeing them live, unless you’re truly studying their every move, you’ve probably already missed the essence of their skill.

The “Pass The Jar — Zac Brown Band and Friends Live from the Fabulous Fox Theatre In Atlanta” DVD  allows you an up-close-and-personal account of their heart-stopping show – so close that you can even see the sweat off Zac Brown’s brow. The DVD even takes you backstage and on the road with the band, and features interviews and sneak peaks at some of their practice performances.

“Pass the Jar” was shot in high definition and directed by Darren Doane, who also shot the band’s “Toes” and “Highway 20 Ride” videos.

Taped at the Fabulous Fox Theater in Atlanta in October 2009, the show took place at a benefit for the historic Georgia Theater, which burned down to the ground on June 19, 2009. The Georgia Theater — which is located on North Lumpkin Street in Athens, Georgia — was erected in 1889, and has been a music store, YMCA, furniture store, concert hall and even a church. “It’s one of my favorite places in the world,” Brown said the night of the benefit. “The Georgia Theater is the cornerstone of Athens, Georgia.” All of the funds raised that night went to the rebuilding of the theater.

The Georgia-grown band — which includes bandmembers Zac Brown(lead vocals, guitar), Coy Bowles(guitar, keyboards), Clay Cook(guitar, keyboard, mandolin, steel guitar, vocals), Jimmy De Martini(fiddle, vocals), Chris Fryar(drums) and John Hopkins(bass guitar, vocals) — won a Grammy in 2009 for being the Best New Artist, and won Country Music Television’s award for having the Breakthrough Video of the Year in 2009 for “Chicken Fried.”  The band has also topped Billboard’s Top Country charts with No. 1 nods for “Chicken Fried,” “Toes” and “Highway 20 Ride.”

On “Pass the Jar,” the band supplements its traditional live show — which includes all of their top hits, along with “Whatever It Is,” “Free,” and their own versions of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” and “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” — with guest appearances by Angie Aparo (“Junkyard”), Aslyn (“Trying to Drive”), Kid Rock (“Can’t You See”), Little Big Town (“Colder Weather”), Joey + Rory (“Free/Into the Mystic”) and Massif (“We’re Gonna Make This Day”). The show also featured Barry Waldrop, Shawn Mullins, Sonia Leigh, Nic Cowan and Levi Lowrey.

“It was like waking up from a dream,” Brown said.

It would be hard for any other artist to top a performance like this, but if overall talent and complete awesomeness isn’t enough of a draw to this DVD, did I forget to mention Zac Brown even raps with Massif during the show?
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)