Last night, The SteelDrivers put a punctuation mark on the Beachland’s weekend-long 13th anniversary celebration. Clearly enthused to be in included in the festivities, the Nashville band was only a few songs into its nearly two-hour set when singer-guitarist Gary Nichols raised a toast to the club before he played “Cry No Mississippi,” a tune he co-wrote with The Civil Wars’ John Paul White. The mellow song started with only banjo and mandolin before bass, fiddle and banjo kicked in to drive it home. More traditional bluegrass players than, say, Mumford and Sons or the Avett Brothers, The SteelDrivers appeal to a slightly older demographic. In fact, the majority of the crowd remained seated for the entire set. But there were those more outspoken fans that stood in the sidelines, hooting and hollering as if they were at some kind of hootenanny. That combination made for a good mix and clearly thrilled the band, which was making its second appearance at the club.
