Overman, Bradshaw, Wayne.
Another Friday, another incredible night of live music in Charlottesville. Old Hank, The Mysterious Jon, Eli, and I had big plans. With a stacked docket, decisions had to be made.
At The Jefferson, Will Overman was back in town, opening for Pony Bradshaw. Will is a local son of sorts who spent about a decade in Cville and now calls Nashville home. He grew up in Virginia Beach and came to Cville via UVA. While at UVA, he fronted the Will Overman Band and gained a loyal following up and down the East Coast. Not long after, he transitioned to a solo career that ultimately took him to Nashville.
He may now be part of that city’s thriving songwriting scene, honing his craft in a supportive, collaborative community. But the crowd here was excited to welcome Will back home to Virginia.
Overman’s set was honest and emotional, rooted in raw life experiences—divorce (his and his parents’), identity, uncertainty, and the long road to healing. He sings like someone who needs to tell these stories. It’s folk at its core, but with aspects of pop, country, and rock. Will has a contemporary edge, grounded in introspection and framed by a voice that can soar when it needs to.
After his set at the merch table, Overman shared glimpses of Nashville life with The Mysterious Jon. He talked about the casual magic of calling up a writer friend to talk lyrics, melodies, or heartbreak in a city where songwriters and musicians make up much of the community. And being thankful for the surprise blessing of competition turned support.
Then came Pony Bradshaw and with him, a shift. If Overman was introspective, Bradshaw looked outward, pulling listeners into the layered terrain of the South. With just a few songs, his presence was undeniable. He opened with “Plain Dealing”. "It's a long-handled shovel, out there digging my grave. Putting me down deep and dark, ain't no way I can be saved." He definitely paints a landscape in the mind’s eye.
Pony, born James, is an Air Force vet turned poet-songwriter. Born in Mississippi and raised in East Texas, he began his official musical journey in Chattanooga open mics, actually winning a contest early on. His songs are rich with place, characters, and literary depth. Over his last three albums, a concept-driven trilogy, he’s constructed a deeply regional and mythic world: Calico Jim, North Georgia Rounder, and Thus Spoke the Fool.
Together, Will and Pony offered an interesting journey from singer-songwriter to a full band rooted in country and grounded in real and thoughtful songwriting. Will’s intimate, soul-searching ballads warmed the room, then Pony and the band’s expansive, atmospheric storytelling gave it weight. From the personal to the poetic, this was American songwriting in full bloom.
But our night was just beginning.
Let’s talk about what might have been the highlight of the night. Durty Nelly’s IG post said it best: “Introducing Central Virginia’s best-kept musical secret, and the East Coast’s finest rockin’ hillbilly band.”
The band: Brandon Wayne & His Lonesome Drifters. If they were a secret, we were on our way to Durty Nelly’s to get that cat out of the bag.
On this night, Will got us thinking, Pony got us feeling, then Brandon and the boys got us moving.
We walked into a packed Honky Tonk bar with the crowd already moving and and the band in full swing. We grabbed a couple of Coors’ Banquets and joined right in.
This band is the real deal. Just pure, unfiltered rockabilly and honky-tonk heat. After a night heavy with lyricism, this was our release: vintage hillbilly boogie, surf instrumentals, western swing, and original cuts that channeled the origins of rock and roll itself.
This music is the source code for so much of what we listen to today. You can trace the lineage…from country to surf, punk, garage, and indie. These sounds still move us because they’ve always moved us. They are at our core and in our soul.
The Lonesome Drifters are a force. Charles “Speedy East” Arthur (steel guitar, mandolin, vocals) is a Richmond native. Matias Camino (upright bass) brings West Coast and South American swagger. And Nick “Powers” Schrenk (drums) keeps the heartbeat alive.
And Brandon Wayne? Brandon’s the torchbearer. His voice, his swagger, and his guitar playing all have an authenticity handed down through his family lineage. A scan of his instagram account finds his great-granddad, Bernard Hensley, from the ‘50’s in full Honky Tonk regalia. No official musical record exists of old Bernard we could find, but if there’d been a Durty Nelly’s in the 1950s, Bernard would’ve been right there…driving from the stage, moving the crowd with his playing and his voice. Just like Brandon is today.
So once again, Charlottesville, we are given the gift of great live music. Singer-songwriter to Southern storyteller to rockabilly revival. A journey through time and tone, climaxing where it all started. A living, breathing testament to American roots music.
Charlottesville never loses the ability to surprise me. After all these years, this town still finds new ways to move us…through its music, its people, and its soul. Whether you’re into folk, rock, country, or something in between, there’s a place for you here.
And chances are, there’s a show waiting to blow your mind.
Until next time, friends. Support local. Dance like nobody’s watching. And never underestimate the healing power of a damn good song.
Keep the beat,
Bazz
