Review: Florry at The Grey Eagle
Elvis Costello once sang “There’s A Story in Your Voice” as a duet with Lucinda Williams. The song is widely assumed to have been written by Costello as a celebration of Williams’ distinctive speaking and singing voice. In a bit of reverse-engineering, multiverse time travel, Costello could have written the same song for Francie Medosch, leader of the band Florry, who played The Grey Eagle on June 22.
Though Florry is a six-member band capable of an array of sounds and textures, the voice of Medosch is always centered, whether through her singing, guitar playing, or songwriting. All three elements were on display on Sunday night as the band tore through a set that mainly featured cuts off of its brand new release, Sounds Like…, which was recorded at Asheville’s Drop of Sun Studios.
On record, Florry channels the loose feeling of The Band and the ragged glory, barroom vibe of side A of Neil Young’s American Stars 'n Bars. Live, they were heavier and much tighter, hitting whatever sound was necessary to match the tone of Medosch’s songwriting, sounding one moment as if they were Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue and the next like the late-70’s E Street Band.
Standout performances started with the opening song, the beautiful country melody of “Dip Myself in Like an Ice Cream Cone,” which morphed into a thick slab of country funk. The gorgeous ballad “Pretty Eyes Lorraine” was enhanced by fiddle and pedal steel — expertly played by Will Henriksen and Jon Cox, respectively — but it was the addition of Medosch’s harmonica playing that made the Rolling Thunder Revue sound complete. The shit-hot soloing on “Hot Weather” climaxed with Cox titling his pedal steel stand on an angle as if tempting gravity to try and halt the velocity of the band’s kick-ass rock ‘n’ roll.
Two new songs were included in the setlist: the Terry Allen-inspired “Breaking Down My Amigo” and “Two Beers,” which contained a mid-song, spoken word recitation referencing Florry’s hometown, Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles. In addition to trying out new material, Florry also demonstrated its ability to shift gears away from country-esque material as evidenced by the noisy, almost prog sounds of “Truck Flipped Over '19.” The band was in lockstep throughout the complex, multi-rhythmic changes of the track, which showcased an immense Medosch guitar solo over a glorious, sludge-y sound.
The set ended with two standout tunes from Sounds Like… “Hey Baby” was an immediate classic on record and proved similarly potent live, thanks to the gut-punch lines, “Hey baby I don't know why you hate me so much / Maybe I messed up,” and ending with the rousing refrain of “If I could turn back time.” The closer for the night was the blistering guitar harmonies and the unrepentant rock and roll of “First it was a movie, then it was a book” that made the dancing at The Grey Eagle more intense and even aggressive.
When writing about Florry, it’s easy to draw connections to and parallels with earlier bands since the ensemble wears its influences so boldly on its collective sleeve. However, what makes the group a singular experience is Menosch. She’s such a compelling figure onstage and, of course, no one has a voice like her.
Confidence oozes off Florry. Its members know they have a great band sound built on terrific songs. Their assurance and determination, and, yes, even swagger, can be attributed to Medosch, a true rock and roll star with a voice possessing a lifetime of stories.
(Photo by Connor Turque)
