nelo

"Oh my baby, there's a light outside.

I must be crazy to be wasting time and if I could be wrong.. well, are you alright?

I'll go running tonight."

ACL 10/2/09

Surprisingly, I'd never heard of the Austin born, feel good, mellow and sadly very forgettable sextet nelo. Arriving at ACL they were the first band I saw and though I was impressed with their somewhat large crowd at a small stage, I was lost in the recognizable sound. The band members - Matt Ragland (acoustic guitar, 12 string, and background vocals), Reid Umstattd (lead vocals), Stephen Goodson (electric guitar), Mike St. Clair (bass, trombone, trumpet, organ. background vocals), and Chris Hill (drums and percussion) make up a not so ordinary group of musicians. With a Dave Matthew's Band tang, nelo has the same vibe as many successful and "already been sung" artists. The lead singer, Reid Umstattd duplicates a tired and breathless voice that reminds me of Rob Thomas during his Matchbox Twenty days and though Thomas is one of my favorite artists I'm lost throughout the show. Don't get me wrong, nelo provides catchy and bubbly lyrics destined to be on teen girl's ipods and played on quiet afternoons but their sound is anything but original. In short: we've heard it before!

Nevertheless, nelo attracts a devoted following and continues to play shows at local venues in and around Austin, TX.

Recommended songs: Footsteps and Jumping Bean

peace,

tess.allen