Like many of his fellow Austin, Texas, musicians, Wayne Hancock rejects what passes for country in Nashville today, drawing instead on the genre’s classic traditions.
Even among Austinites, few go as far back as Hancock does in creating his music, which he performed at FitzGerald’s Wednesday night. The nearest thing to him may be Don Walser, who, at twice the 30-year-old’s age, is acquainted first-hand with the times from which Hancock draws his inspiration.
Make that some of the times. With his 27-song set including such 1920s fare as “The Viper” (an ode to marijuana) and blackface performer Emmett Miller’s “Lovesick Blues” (later recorded by Patsy Cline), Hancock’s material occasionally predated Walser, too. The instrumentation also was in keeping with 1920s and ’30s country bands, with Hancock on acoustic guitar, accompanied by guitarist Chris Miller, upright bass player Bill Lawson and no drummer.
Above all, Hancock’s sharp nasal twang marks him as a country singer of the old school. Although bracingly distinctive, his voice was thin at times, needing more force to carry songs with command and drive their rhythm. Miller’s fine playing pointed up the problem, as the rhythms often became sharper and more insistent when his solos replaced Hancock’s vocals as lead instrument.
In the first half of his set, Hancock fared best on ballads requiring little vocal aggression. The combination of his rough voice and delicate melodies created satin-and-burlap textures that worked well on the Frank Sinatra standard “My Echo, My Shadow and Me” and a rapturous version of George Gershwin’s “Summertime.”
With that song, Hancock’s performance became more assured, and he began delivering strong versions of his uptempo songs as well as ballads. The frisky “Why Don’t You Leave Me Alone?” exemplified Hancock’s increased command, as he exchanged the peptic delivery on his debut, “Thunderstorms and Neon Signs,” for a smoother, gliding vocal style.
North Carolina native-turned Chicagoan Rob Fulks effectively balanced not-too-sweet vocals and sunny melodies with dark, droll lyrics during his opening solo performance. The material Fulks previewed from his forthcoming record was marked by a deft mix of parody and pathos and allusions to classic country that were alternately savvy and self-conscious.
Wayne Hancock performs at 8 p.m. Saturday at Schubas, 3159 N. Southport Ave. Phone 312-525-2508.
