I don’t think there could’ve been a better place to see The Cleverlys than The Old Rock House here in St.Louis. It’s about as close as you can get to a private show without them performing in your living room. After waiting since the original March date was postponed, the second they walked through the front door and made their way to the stage, you could tell it was going to be a special night. It felt like the Grand Ole Opry crashed a good old Midwestern bluegrass jam session, and somehow we all got invited.
One minute you’re laughing so hard your face hurts, and the next you’re sitting a foot from the stage, completely blown away by the musicianship. Their bluegrass takes on songs you would’ve sworn could never work somehow sound like they were written that way from the beginning. Then somebody takes off on a solo, and the whole room just gets lost in the moment.
What I love most is that none of it feels forced. The stories and comedy flow effortlessly into each song without ever getting in the way of the music, and the music never gets in the way of the storytelling. It all just works. The conversations between the band feel like you’re listening in on this family giving each other a hard time, and before long the crowd feels like part of it too.
It’s easy to see why they’re headed back to the Opry next week. They deserve every bit of it. They can own one of country music’s biggest stages, then turn around and make a room in St. Louis feel like you’re part of the pickin’ circle instead of just another face in the crowd.
If you’ve never seen The Cleverlys live, fix that. Bring people with you—or don’t, because you’ll probably make friends before the night’s over. You’ll laugh until your face hurts, sing along to songs you never expected to hear on banjo and fiddle, and spend the drive home wishing you could do it all over again.
Melissa O’Rourke aka WickedWitchofSTL is a jack of all trades. By day she’s an established tattooist and piercer, by night a mother to her amazing son (who is a hell of a guitarist). Melissa has a musical background and can often be found at a local karaoke joint, or a concert when she’s not driving across the country for an adventure. This social butterfly always welcomes conversation so come say hi! See y’all at the next gig!
