Mack, Myers, Moore and Frank Viele @ Amos’ Southend, Charlotte, NC 3-1-17

It was a magical night of music this past Wednesday evening in Charlotte as Mack, Myers, & Moore made a stop at Amos’ Southend on their “Forever and Seventeen” tour. After several local bands got things going, singer/songwriter Frank Viele hit the stage. Sitting on a wooden stool front and center with his acoustic guitar and one microphone, Viele put in a stellar, soulful set. He has a commanding presence and powerful sound with husky vocals that will take you by surprise as he sang of broken hearts and finding happiness. Frank’s set had a true storyteller vibe as he spoke to the crowd telling them how his music was discovered by Zach Myers allowing him to quit his office supply job and live the dream of playing live music. Viele’s songs are solid and his album “Fall Your Way” was New England’s album of the year. Zack Mack made an appearance on harmonica during a new song, “Honey,” as Viele joked that he never knew if and when Zack would pop up. Frank is a true talent and I would look for big things from him in the not so distant future.

At this point in the evening, I was expecting the crowd to be much larger but that wasn’t the case. The fact that the venue would be closing in a few days may have played a factor in this as well as the extreme weather with severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings in the area. Nevertheless, when Mack, Myers, & Moore began their set it didn’t matter whether there were a hundred people or a hundred thousand people as they played their hearts out filling Amos’ with their special sound. The trio consists of Zack Mack of Brimstone Jones, Zach Myers of Shinedown, and Justin Moore of Brimstone Jones also.

They are a unique group with a sound that is a little bit folk, a little bit country, a little bit rock, and a whole lot of amazing. Armed with acoustic guitars, the three musicians got things rolling in grand style trading off lead vocals throughout the evening and coming together in beautiful harmonies. It’s easy to tell that the three are not only gifted musicians but true friends as they were able to laugh and joke while anticipating each other’s moves.

The band doesn’t follow a true set list as they tend to let the evening progress naturally but included songs from the 2015 Allen, Mack, Myers, & Moore album “Just South of Moonlight” as well as their “Shuffle” record which can only be purchased at one of their live shows.

There was a lot of fun filled moments as Zach Myers asked how many had seen the band perform live before. When only a few hands went up he decided to call the audience “virgins” and would jokingly refer to that all night long. Another interesting thing happened during the end of the second song. Just when you think you’ve seen it all at a live show, someone taking photos walked around the back of the stage with their dog in tow. The band took it in stride and Zach mentioned that you know it was going to be a crazy night when there’s a dog onstage by the second song. I’m not sure how the dog got past security, perhaps the pooch had special canine credentials.

For such a spontaneous show, the band sounded incredible with soulful songs that at times literally gave you chills. After a cover of the Black Crowe’s “She Talks To Angels” Zach said “let’s take it to church” as the band kicked into an awe inspiring version of U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” Zack Mack took a turn behind the piano taking the lead for a very special “Looking for a Lover.” There was a lot of interplay between the band and the audience as Zach explained the true meaning behind the Jackson Browne song “Rosie” laughing and apologizing to the parents in the crowd as masturbation jokes would abound the rest of the night. Another poignant moment came during “Shed Some Light” which Zach introduced as his favorite Shinedown song and later when he took to the piano himself for a moving, stripped down version of Shinedown’s “Unity.” They closed out the night with a ripping version of Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls” which had the crowd on their feet dancing away. Before leaving the stage, Zach took a moment to give a shout out to the venue which would be soon closing as he recalled his many memories of playing there over the years. All three band members gathered around the center microphone as they dedicated the final song of the night to Amos’ with a moving and heartfelt “Oh My Sweet Carolina.’

It’s not that often that a live performance truly moves you and leaves you feeling inspired but that’s exactly what happened as Mack, Myers, & Moore gave us a once in a lifetime, magical night.

Set List:

Angels From Montgomery

I Would’ve Done It By Now

Annalee

She Talks To Angels (Black Crowe’s cover)

I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For (U2 cover)

Forever and Seventeen

Looking For a Lover

Nutshell (Alice in Chains cover)

Shed Some Light (Shinedown cover)

Marjorie

Rosie (Jackson Browne cover)