Song Spotlight: O.S. Coleman's Natural Way (a night at Harvard & Stone)

O.S. Coleman (initials for Odin Scott) opened up the night at the Swyndle LA showcase at Harvard & Stone. It was a set filled with bluegrass and gospel tunes with Coleman switching between the banjo and violin while his bandmate Troy Dillinger (known for playing with Harry Katz and the Pistachios) took up accordion duties. 

O.S. Coleman at Harvard & Stone

I'll say up front that I do believe that most of his songs were covers. In the setlist, I've done my best to assign the appropriate credit. Also, I should mention that I've stay away from writing up blog posts where the setlist is primarily focused on covers. There have been a couple really solid singers at WFNM who had pitch perfect American Idol like vocals, but I just didn't write-up a review because I just couldn't get a feel for who they were as an artist. 

Why am I making an exception here? Well, I just had this feeling while watching the set that I was listening to the sound track of  O Brother, Where Art Thou? or catching a live bluegrass entertainment show at Knott's Berry Farm (I mention this, because during the holidays I had family come into town and we spent a day at the theme park). Thirty minutes of reviving traditional American music. It was too enjoyable not to write something up.

O.S. Coleman at Harvard & Stone

Comment of the night in regards to the banjo: you spend half the time tuning.

Throughout the set, he did his banjo picking while tapping his feet / boots to the beat. Perhaps during half the set, he wasn't just tapping one boot to the beat, but tapping both boots at the same time. He was no doubt wanting to inspire the Harvard & Stone crowd to do some dancing. His efforts did pay off as two individuals danced their way through a tune or two. Also, one had to love his vintage looking microphone. 

O.S. Coleman at Harvard & Stone

Per his Bandcamp bio, he's an "anti-crooner from the Pacific Northwest currently residing in the City of Angels." He currently has only one song up on Spotify, which was produced by the multi-talented Ryan Pollie, called "Natural Way." Seems appropriate to make that the song spotlight even though it wasn't performed during his set.

A folk-tinged song about the natural cycle of life with banjo and accordion providing the hint of the inevitable.

And then we got the call
That Henry's dad had died
We smoked our pipes and gazed upon the stars up in the sky

Setlist: Darlin' Corey, Late For Dinner (own song), Great Oak, My Name 'Tis Vernon Fetterly (Phil Thomas cover), Herring, Come Ye Sinners Poor and Needy (J. Hart cover), Swipesy (Scott Joplin cover), Rye Whiskey Joe (Bill Staines cover).