This evening I was privileged to attend the Olathe Library's opening act for the 2024 music season. If you have the opportunity to see Stone and Snow live I highly suggest it. Unfortunately most of Olathe was not there tonight, I also almost missed it because it was cold and dreary. The fortunate one that were there were gifted a show that was intimate and worth talking about.
I have attended a couple of the music programs at the Olathe Library and all the previous shows left something to be desired. Mostly bands seem to have their speakers turned to 11. It was funny in one movie, but hurting my ears isn't a feature and clipping makes enjoying the tunes very difficult. Others were just not of high quality. I know that is subjective, but being able to remember the words and notes to your song should be a table stakes for a city sponsored venue. Tonight's performance was professionally stages. The venue was originally the outside space on the second floor, but due to the weather it was held in the flex hall. The flex hall is a room designed to fit any kind of event. Tonight it had stadium seating, and there wasn't a bad seat in the house. The acoustics also proved to be quite good. The windows were a bit distracting while the sun was up, but as dusk settled the windows turned to mirrors and it gave the perception of being grander than it is.
While presented as a folk band, and their merch proudly proclaimed this is how they saw themselves, I thought it felt more early 90s country. Karen has a deep smooth tone similar to Wynnona Judd without the nasal twang. She has a very strong instrument and frequently displayed a great deal of control and precision in wielding it. Clint was excellent on any instrument he handled and was able to harmonize smoothly. While she appeared effortless in her command of the music, he was holding up everything with his instrument skills and while not looking effortless, never missed a step (he missed one thing and was pretty hard on himself for it).
The interaction with the audience was masterfully handled, even calling out the strange standup comedy style required of musicians in live venues. There were interesting stories behind all the music, and a real appreciation for everyone that came to see them. I just hope that they know we appreciate getting to experience it as much as they appreciate us seeing them perform.
After, while taking to Clint he mentioned they do a lot of house concerts, so if you have a house and want an excellent band, give them a call.