Train rocks tracks

Sol Driven Train, a five-piece rock band from Folly Beach, S.C., headlined at Stella Blue with an organ, saxophone and horn section along with guitars, drums and bass.

"(Sol Driven Train) are great guys, some of the hardest-working in the business," said Kevin Rainwater, 39. "They've got the best horn section in the Southeast, solid rhythm and insane vocal harmonies."

Rainwater met SDT years ago through his band Big City Sunrise from Sautee Nacoochee, Ga.

"We've played together on several bills, like at French Broad River Festival and the Sautee Jamboree," Rainwater said. "I've always been drawn to SDT because of their dynamic range. Overall, it's easy to call them Americana, but there is some improvisation and randomness that allows for jams and surprises."

Jeff Bynum, also of Big City Sunrise, opened with a solo set of acoustic guitar, violin and vocals.

"Jeff is a real cute, nice hawk," said Joel Timmons, guitarist and vocalist of SDT. "His mix of acoustic instruments is a great way to kick off one of our shows."

Bynum's set complemented SDT, but the stripped-down setup yielded more ballads and thoughtful singer/songwriter arrangements. In the middle of the set, Bynum played a well-received rendition of Chris Isaac's "Wicked Game."

"It's definitely a contrast," Bynum said. "SDT has danceable beats. They're more 'out there' than my solo stuff. Most of what I'm going for is geared toward blues and modern acoustic rock, though I've been told I'm country."

Rusty Cole, bassist and upright organ player for SDT, said that SDT has a coastal, reggae atmosphere in most songs.

"We're like Jimmy Buffet on mushrooms," Timmons agreed.

Although unsigned, SDT has self-released three studio albums. Their latest full-length, "Lighthouse," came out last spring, following their live album "Live on the Outer Banks" (2007).

"Our albums are a means to an end, and that end is the road," Timmons said. "We're constantly touring. We did 150 dates last year. All in all, we've played over 500 shows in three years."

According to Timmons, SDT obtained their work ethic from the college atmosphere and the desire to play live as often as possible.

"We started in college, playing our first gigs at the College of Charleston and Clemson University," Timmons said. "Though we have maintained strong ties to the Southeast, we live for the road. There's nothing like the constant flow of America as you're riding hundreds of miles at a time without stopping, and then playing a two-hour set to unwind."

SDT has gained a solid following in Asheville in the past three years, according to Rainwater.

"This is their fourth show at Stella Blue, and I know they've played festival dates around here," Rainwater said.

SDT lived up to their reputation Friday, following Bynum's first solo performance in Asheville.

"We're definitely a vibrant band," Cole said. "All of our energy is positive, and there's a constant relationship with each individual on and off-stage."

While there is an abundance of on-the-spot communication, SDT's songs are still focused, according to Cole.

"We like to stretch things out with some improvisation, but we're still a song-based band. We don't tend to go on forever like some jam bands. We enjoy more or less concise rhythmic songs that have short bursts of wild face melting."

Be the first to comment on this article!

Add comment


I am not posting spam. I understand posting spam or other comments that are unrelated to this article will cause my comment to be flagged for deletion and possibly cause my IP address to be permanently banned from this server.

Enter the characters in the image above:

log out