The Steel Woods bring their Southern rock edge to The Shelter along with Adventures with Vultures.

Adventures with Vultures started the night. The band is a passion project of singer, guitarist and songwriter Matt Sauter. Joined tonight by brother and bassist Daniel Sauter and drummer Jon Staten, the trio drew in a large crowd of local fans excited to hear the bands folksy, gritty tone to emotive, stripped-down songs.

Matt Sauter takes influences from classic songwriters like Carole King as well as hip-hop legends like Mos Def and J. Cole to produce his own blend of folk music. Adventures with Vultures’ songs are an ode to Sauter’s hometown, Plymouth MI; with lyrics telling stories that everyone can feel a kinship from. Their music sways from soulful ballads to fast-paced dancing tunes, the single “Okay Guy” standing out as one of the set highlights. Matt Sauter’s voice flows seamlessly through the songs with the style of a classic crooner. The band plays amazingly together, with the Sauter brothers harmonizing perfectly during songs and poking fun at each other in between.

Adventures with Vultures is a fun band from start to finish, a perfect start to the night. Their debut release The Junction EP is available on their website.

The Steel Woods took the stage as the crowd cheered as the John Anderson cover “Wild and Blue” began the set. This Southern rock quartet started with guitarists Wes Bayliss and Jason “Rowdy” Cope in Nashville. With the addition of bassist Johnny Stanton and drummer Jay Tooke, the band quickly grew in popularity and released their debut album Straw in the Wind on May 19, 2017.

This soft-spoken band lets their music speak volumes, blending a rural Appalachian sound to their Southern outlaw rock; full of twangy, gritty guitar tones, a thunderous rhythm section, and soulful harmonies. They doled out some great tracks from Straw in the Wind like the hook heavy “Better in the Fall”, the galloping murder ballad “Della Jane’s Heart”, and the emotive drawl of “The Well”. One of the best songs of the night was the performance of the title track; a powerful anthem of terrible people who seem to disappear like ‘straw in the wind’.

The band threw a lot of covers in throughout the night, including J.J. Cale’s “I Got the Same Old Blues”, Darrell Scott’s “Uncle Lloyd”, The Allman Brothers Band’s “Whipping Post”, and a personal highlight of the night, Black Sabbath’s “Hole in the Sky”.
For the encore, the band returned with two aggressive powerhouse songs “Axe” and “Let the Rain Come Down”.

The Steel Woods gave the crowd a captivating and emotionally charged performance. They are continuing to tour the United States throughout the summer, and are definitely a band that everyone needs to hear. Straw in the Wind is available on the band’s website.

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The Steel Woods
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Adventures with Vultures
Website | Facebook | Twitter

The Shelter
Website | Facebook | Twitter

Event Date: 14-JUN-2018

About The Author

Calling Detroit, Michigan home, Sami has been photographing for many years and has been with National Rock Review since near the beginning. She is a photographer and writer for National Rock Review as well as being the US Marketing Manager, PR Correspondent, and Editor. She also owns her own photography business, Sami Lipp Photography. Capturing the excitement of live music and the passion of musicians is something she lives for. She is excited to grow her career in music photography every day.