This past January, I saw five performances in Charleston, SC. Among the artists were Greensky Bluegrass, Susto en Muerto (plays the Dead), the Chris O’ Leary band, the Mavericks and local musicians performing original music at homegrown breweries. I have seen Greensky Bluegrass, the Mavericks and the Chris O’ Leary band several times before this month and every show was memorable for the level of artistry that each brought to the stage. But since I have to choose one, the Chris O’Leary band takes the spotlight as the best concert I saw in January.

Why, you ask? Who is Chris O’Leary and why is his performance worthy of being at the top of the heap in January? To begin, Chris was the lead singer and front man for Levon Helm’s band the Barnburners, for six years back in the 2000’s. Chris continued his association with Levon during his Barn Jam days. Chris’s talents have been on display with a variety of artists that included Bobby Keys, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Jimmy Vivino, Jeff Healey, Dan Akroyd, Albert Lee, Dave Edmunds and James Cotton, amongst others. Chris sings and plays blues harmonica with genuine emotion. Through the years, his voice, harp and stage presence has thrilled crowds all over the country.

On this particular night at Montreux, a local bar in my hometown, Chris brought his quartet to the cozy confines of this bar. The band features Chuck Cotton on drums, Pete Kanaras on bass, Mike Lynch on lead guitar and Brooks Milgate on piano. For nearly three hours, they had the capacity crowd in the palm of their hands, grooving to their classic blues tunes and hard driving rock and roll. Chris’s bandmates are top notch and really complement his vocals and harmonica. The band paid homage to Levon Helm, led Zepplin, many of the greats of the Blues and offered up a good dose of his original music. What impressed me was the crowd. This was Chris’ third visit to Montreaux in the past two years and the word has gotten out about this band. We showed up a half hour before the show and the bar was full. The crowd consisted of folks 50 and older, on average, and they were into it! They loved the show, bought his merch and stayed till the end of his show. If this band comes to your town, run, don’t walk, to their performance. Check out chrisolearyband.net for show schedules and everything you need to know about this band! #chrisolearyband #montreauxbar #summerville