Photos | Joe Fletcher & The Wrong Reasons + Spirit Family Reunion + Samantha Harlow – TT the Bear’s

Photos by Boston Concert Photography

[J]oe Fletcher & The Wrong Reasons may be a Rhode Island band, but Friday night had to feel like a homecoming. TT the Bears Place got a nice sell out on Friday night with Joe and his group in as well as Newport Folk Fest and Brunch Session alums Spirit Family Reunion landed in our fair city for what may have been one of the best shows of the month, if not the year.

Fletcher as usual brought his straight ahead grizzled rock / americana sound into the room and delighted fans with songs from his standout album, White Lighter as well as songs new and old, pairing up with pal Bryan Minto on a few songs, as well as some time with just about everyone else in the building. Fletcher’s music just seems to lend itself to a crowd hollering the lyrics which makes for a great party atmosphere that everyone can get down with.

Spirit Family Reunion delivered as they played through most of the tracks from their 2012 breakout album, No Separation, and displayed everything that made them so damn special at Newport Folk Fest and here with us at Brunch Session 1. They closed their set with a wonderful cover of The Sons of the Pioneers’ “When It’s Nighttime in Nevada,” a sleepy old country song that seems to be just the right song to close out their rousing set.

Opening the show was Nashville darling, Samantha Harlow a country singer / songwriter whose songs are direct, conversational and personal, who dutifully and quite nicely warmed up the crowd with her soft voice and personal lyrics.