Jeshua Marshall
Jeshua Marshall — Bend, Oregon-based road warrior and co-founder of Larry and His Flask — joined us on a steamy Nashville afternoon for his No Depression Session at Jaan’s House in Nashville during AmericanaFest 2023, sharing four tunes. Three of the songs can be heard on his new record, The Flood.
This ND session and the album both begin with Marshall’s interpretation of the song “Water,” written by Willy Tea Taylor. It is always interesting to hear how an artist’s interpretation of a song differs from studio version to live performance. The album version of “Water” has a certain swing to it and includes a trumpet line articulating the main riff. This ND Session performance features a more driving beat propelled by Marshall’s bass, along with Wendy Wampler’s clarinet adding an almost klezmer feeling. Guitarist Seth Acquarolo rounds out the trio with a precisely picked acoustic solo, again contrasting with the studio version of the song, which features Acquarolo on fuzzy overdriven electric guitar.
Marshall jokingly refers to The Flood as an “accidental concept album,” since the water themes found on the record weren’t preconceived (“Water,” “The Flood,” “Agua Es Vida”). The themes made sense to Marshall retroactively, tying together ideas about environmental protection, water usage rights, and also the spiritual importance of spending time near water.
Next, Marshall shares “In a Dream,” then “The Flood.” On the record, the title track is more reggae/ska-flavored, while this ND Session presents a more grassified side of the song. Rounding out the set is “Go Go,” from Marshall’s first record as a solo artist, Shoot the Moon.
This No Depression Session at AmericanaFest 2023 was made possible with support from AEA Ribbon Mics. Find previous No Depression Sessions at AmericanaFest here, and look for more in the coming weeks.
