The Red Clay Strays
Golden 1 Center
September 11
Photos by Paul Piazza
When The Red Clay Strays took the stage at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center in the midst of their first national arena tour, two of the band members were wearing green Athletics jerseys. Earlier that evening, before the band hit the stage, they had stopped by the nearby baseball stadium, where they had been invited to throw the first pitch. After guitarist Drew Nix threw a respectable toss across home plate in the A’s temporary home, they crossed the Tower Bridge to Golden 1 and really got things swinging.
Throwing out the first pitch is an honor normally bestowed upon more well-known celebrities, but this band, who are a powerhouse of Southern soul, gospel, classic country, and gritty blues rock have gotten a lot of attention lately. In fact, they are becoming a widely known act. In a relatively short time, they have broadened their appeal with songs that soulfully engage fans and dynamic performances all around the country that leave people wanting more.
Over the past few years, the band have made the leap from rocking covers in small clubs to headlining basketball arenas with their standout originals. On this Friday night, The Red Clay Strays played a nearly two-hour set that showcased their musical strengths and unique appeal. Their set largely featured songs from 2024’s Made for this Moment and 2026’s Grateful.
These excellent records were produced by outlaw country studio wizard Dave Cobb at his two studios in Savannah, Georgia, and Nashville, Tennessee. After self-producing their first record, Moment of Truth, which gained them some footing in the music world, it was time to go in with one of the best. The result was a pair of platters that put them in the same sound quality zone as Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, and Sturgill Simpson — all artists produced by Cobb. That’s some pretty impressive company in the realm of metamodern country and Americana.
While The Red Clay Strays consider themselves primarily a rock ‘n’ roll band, they have a variety of facets in their expression. Naturally, they rocked the set nonstop, propelled by hard-hitting drummer John W. Hall. His animated, energetic style and untamed beard remind some people of Animal from The Muppets. And his presence always reminds you they are a rock ‘n’ roll band first. Of course, there was also the steady guitar firepower and grooving Southern-flavored licks from Nix as well as Zach Rishel. The pair grew up on the likes of Little Feat and Lynyrd Skynyrd, and they both can rip.
Bassist Andrew Bishop, who co-founded the band, is also a great presence onstage, thumping away on his custom Banker Guitars Excalibur-style bass. He co-founded the band in Mobile, Alabama, along with Nix and vocalist Brandon Coleman in 2016. After adding Rishel and Hall, the group relentlessly gigged around the Gulf Coast area, knocking it out with covers before starting to write originals and slipping them into their sets until people knew them. It also didn’t hurt that four of the band’s songs were featured on the immensely popular TV series “Landman.”
People took notice of the band’s talents. In particular, Coleman’s towering presence as a frontman who holds sway near the front of the stage feels like watching a preacher at a pulpit. He is a magnetic draw. He brings a focused passion along with a deep tenor, perfectly pressed sharp suits, and a magnificently coiffed pompadour. And when all cylinders are firing with him in the center, this is a formidable group to witness.
Opening the show was Dylan Gossett, who played a traditional country set that went over well, and Sweet Talk, who boogied down like The Allman Brothers.
But it was The Red Clay Strays who rounded the bases on this night with a walk-off Friday night show that must have sent vibes back to the ballpark across the Tower Bridge, because the A’s knocked it out of the park with a win in that fashion as well.
