Trouble No More: Southbound & Eastbound!

The remarkable collective Trouble No More have a half dozen shows on the calendar, beginning with a show at Orpheum Theatre in Boston March 24 and then The Beacon in NYC, both of those with very special guest Chuck Leavell, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Brothers & Sisters! In April, they will swing through NOLA during Jazz Fest for a night at HOB and then on to Antone’s in Austin. May finds them on Pop’s Farm in Virginia for Rooster Walk, and they’ll do The Peach at the end of June.

Trouble No More are: Brandon ‘Taz’ Niederauer, guitar, vocals; Daniel Donato, guitar, vocals; Dylan Niederauer, bass guitar; Jack Ryan, drums; Lamar Williams Jr., vocals; Nikki Glaspie, drums, vocals; Peter Levin, keyboards; and Roosevelt ‘The Dr.’ Collier, pedal steel guitar, lap steel guitar.

Trouble No More – Jam Cruise 19 – 2/8/23 – MSC Divina and the Caribbean – photo © Dave Vann 2023

We were fortunate to catch this band en fuego in December at North Beach Music Festival and then both sets on Jam Cruise 19. Thanks to Jam Cruise and to photographer Dave Vann for these outstanding shots. About the Jam Cruise sets, we wrote:

FEBRUARY 8 Pool Deck

We had the pleasure of seeing Trouble No More at North Beach Music Festival in December, and we were thrilled to get two more shots. The guitar triumvirate of Brandon “Taz” Niederauer, Daniel Donato, and Roosevelt Collier (pedal and lap steel) is mind-boggling. Those who saw Duane & Dickey and Warren & Derek will tell you these three belong in that conversation.

Lamar Williams Jr. is the perfect vocalist and front man for TNM. After “Trouble No More” and “Ain’t Wastin’ Time,” they wasted no more time before blasting into a massive “Les Brers in A Minor” with a great drum interlude from Nikki Glaspie and Jack Ryan. Vaylor Trucks, on board for Master Camp, joined in on “Blue Sky” and “One Way Out,” sounding great. They closed the massive set with a fine, fine “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.”

FEBRUARY 10 Pantheon Theater

But Trouble No More were about to blow up the theater. After “Trouble No More” and a nasty “Ain’t My Cross to Bear” (Lamar Williams Jr. was superb), they launched into “Mountain Jam.” This tune usually doesn’t move me, but this version turned otherworldly. Brandon “Taz” Niederauer had a fabulous solo (the superlatives are going to get convoluted here), and Daniel Donato’s was equally brilliant.

Trouble No More – Jam Cruise 19 – 2/10/23 – MSC Divina and the Caribbean – photo © Dave Vann 2023

But it was what happened in between that marked one of a couple high-water marks for JC 19. Peter Levin absolutely crushed his keyboard solo, synths and B3 and, well, it’s hard to say. Meanwhile, Dylan Niederauer turned in the most stunning bass performance on the boat (for me). Out of this world. After Nikki Glaspie and Jack Ryan had their turn, Roosevelt Collier worked in a fine “Third Stone from the Sun” quote.

Vaylor Trucks came up to help send “You Don’t Love Me” skyward, Collier switching from pedal steel to his custom “lap” steel guitar. Levin’s piano throughout was wonderful. Isaiah Sharkey helped out on “Southbound,” and the whole shebang finished with a magical “Liz Reed” and thunderous “Whipping Post.”

IYKYK. If you have not seen them (yet), it’s time. BRILLIANT!

TROUBLE NO MORE

03/24 Orpheum Theatre | Boston MA

03/25 Beacon Theatre | New York NY

04/27 House of Blues New Orleans | New Orleans LA

04/29 Antone’s | Austin TX

05/25 Rooster Walk | Pop’s Farm | Axton VA

06/29 The Peach Music Festival | Scranton PA

Trouble No More: Southbound & Eastbound!