The Red Clay Strays bring their Southern Soul to Utah

Throughout my life I’ve always claimed that the “ber” months were the best. Maybe it was because I was born in September, and maybe it’s because I’m a sucker for the return of cold weather, holidays and all of the good vibes around the holidays. Regardless, after seeing the Red Clay Strays perform in September, I can confidently say that at least for me, the Red Clay Strays own September, their vibes are a perfect match. So with their show at the Maverik Center, in West Valley City this month, it was the perfect kick off to the favorited “ber” months.

I’ve seen a handful of shows at the Maverik Center, it’s big but still feels somewhat intimate. My favorite part of every show is the moment right as the band is about to go on stage. The lights dim and the excitement levels hit 1000. The Red Clay Strays brought an added bonus, they had this QR Code that fans could scan that would put on this little light show as they came out, it was so cool to see everyone’s phone light up and definitely added to the ambiance. The lights dimmed, the music played and the night began.

I first listened to the Red Clay Strays about a year ago, their song “Moments” came on my spotify and I was instantly hooked. I am going to be honest, I was completely unprepared for what I was about to experience. Frontman Brandon Coleman took the stage, the stage was backlit so you only really saw his outline, but my goodness his vocals silenced the room. They kicked off with the song “Demons In Your Choir” . I was in awe, star struck even. His voice was so powerful, I can’t fully describe the quality of his singing because it would jump from a folksy gritty sound to a soft almost vulnerable sound flawlessly.

The band is Alabama based and their songs don’t fit a specific genre, they switch off between rock, country, gospel and blues but they do it so seamlessly that it doesn’t feel chaotic or pushy, it’s clear to the listener that they are good at each genre they undertake. What impressed me as well was the quality, The Red Clay Strays are meant to be heard in arenas. I loved that each band member embraced the show and put everything they had into each song. Something else I really appreciated is that while their light show was amazing, it fit the vibe of their music as well as the vibe of the show in general, it didn’t overtake the artistry of the music, it added to it. Which is what all good light shows should do.

I wish I could pick a favorite from that night, after the first three songs were over I did my very best to not take an obscene amount of videos on my phone but it was so hard because each time they started a new one I was in awe all over again. A few of my favorites from the night were “Drowning” . I loved how the stage went blue for this song as though Brandon and his band were in deep water. This was one of the songs that I heard live and have had on replay in my car since the concert ended. I also loved their song “People Hatin’” Before going into this song Brandon took a moment to give some backstory to the song. He mentioned that almost each member of their large band had different opinions on a variety of issues but they are all able to make their band work, for what I believe he said was 12 years. He talked about how

many people told them that this song was a cop-out, that they weren’t really taking a stand and his response was “well you don’t really get the song then”. They then go into a stomp and holler song that drew at least top 3 crowd involvement for the night. I loved his explanation before the song, the call to put aside differences for the sake of relationships and connection.

Another popular song of the night, which I would rank second in crowd involvement, was the song that seems to have started it all for them. “Wondering Why”. This was a close second to what I believe was the most anticipated song “Wanna Be Loved” The crowd went crazy for both these songs and rightfully so. Both the band and production were so tight it was hard not to be mesmerized by everything while singing along to your favorite songs. The crowd was great the whole night, but there was a special magic in the air during those songs.

The final thing that really stood out to me was their incorporation of gospel music. I was telling a friend after the show that I appreciated how naturally they incorporate God into their music. It never felt like a solely christian show, but there was an element there that was hard to ignore. One of my favorite things that Brandon said was that “God is a part of our lives, and He is in our music”. I think that was a perfect description of what the night felt like. Their song “Revivial” was probably one of my favorites of the night, with their back up vocalists it was hard to not love the song, the lyrics and the crowd involvement throughout the song.

All in all I can’t recommend going to see the Red Clay Strays enough, their music is raw and real, it’s not over produced. Instead of following the standard song writing formula, they do and write what they love and their live performance reflects that because you can see them loving what they do. A nod needs to be given to Coleman, the way he was able to reach the audience and stay connected to them throughout the evening was amazing. He wasn’t dancing around the stage trying to draw attention to himself, he was simply being an artist, and sharing his art with the world and the attention naturally followed.

I hope it’s not a long wait before the Red Clay Strays make their return to Utah. Between a solid invested fan base and the growth I am sure they’ll see as they continue to tour I know each time they come back to Utah it will just get better and better. With tour dates from now until the end of November, with a show in December and a show in February trust me when I say that this is not a show you’re going to want to sit out.

The Red Clay Strays :