Here are three fun facts I learned about Sister Hazel on Friday night when they played House of Blues:
1) The band’s been around for 20 years
2) It still has all its original members – there hasn’t been a single change in line-up
3) After all these years, they still have the ability to bring on the warm fuzzies
Watching Sister Hazel create their unique brand of southern/folk rock onstage is enough to give any ’90s kid a small freak out moment (raise your hand if the 10 Things I Hate About You soundtrack is still on your ipod). The group brought its guitar driven form of rock (the band features not one, not two, but three guitars onstage – slide/lead by Ryan Newell, acoustic by Ken Block and rhythm by Andrew Copeland – for all of your ballad/guitar god/electric/catchy hook/riffing needs) to the adoring crowd on Friday, and they did it with all the graceful, charming, optimistic, joyful panache you’d expect from a band that graced us with “All For You”.
Working through a mixture of oldies and new tracks, the group not only sounded great, they were also adorable. After twenty years together, they’re still having fun, locking eyes and engaging in guitar jams together and just clearly enjoying each other’s company. Kicking things off with “Happy” and later moving into “Your Winter” and “Change Your Mind” they also mixed in some tracks off their newer albums, and at one very memorable point in the evening, they busted out a surprise saxophone solo for touring member Dave LaGrande that made me fall even more in love with the woodwind than before.
Sister Hazel has polished its brand of feel good, imaginative, southern rock over the past 20 years and it shows. Definitely worth it to see them live – your ’90s self and your present self will thank you for it.