One of Nashville’s great session musicians, Sergio Webb, told me I should see David Olney perform if I ever got the chance.  Not too long after that, I booked my trip to Nashville and was thrilled to see that David would be performing at The 5 Spot while I was there! Score!

David Olney

David’s name was not familiar to me but I listened to some recordings, and knew that I would take Sergio’s advice and see this show.

David has been a fixture on the Nashville scene for more than forty years as a singer-songwriter and a performer. He recently released ‘When The Deal Goes Down’ which is the album I know best because I own it!

David

David plays with a band consisting of Mark Robinson on guitar, as well as Justin Amaral on drums and Daniel Seymour on bass. They are really good musicians, but David is clearly the star of this group.

Mark Robinson

Daniel Seymour

Justin Amaral

David performed many songs from his new album, including the title song, ‘Little Bird’ and ‘Sad Saturday Night’. In fact, he might have played every song from the album!

David and Mark

If forced to describe David’s style, I would say country folk rock. I would rather describe it as just plain excellent music without trying to fit it into a category.

David

His songs have been covered by musicians such as Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, and more.

David

It is hard to comprehend how musicians of David’s stature play for tips at small venues such as The 5 Spot. He should be playing at larger venues with set ticket prices (which he does when he travels outside Nashville)!

David, Mark and Daniel

When David and the band first took the stage, the room seemed almost empty which might be due to it being a show that started at 6 p.m. By the time the show was over, the room was full. Regardless of the size of the crowd, they played to an extremely enthusiastic audience.

David

I liked The 5 Spot, and would frequent it if it was a local establishment to me. It is kind of a dive (not in a bad way, though) but it has a great vibe and wonderful patrons. I had a great time with some Nashvillians who invited me to share their table (and dinner afterward).

I recommend seeing David when he performs in a city near you. He plays his heart out on stage.