Live Review: Benefit for Ruthie Morris @ The EARL, December 15 w/Amy Ray, Warm In The Wake, & Tim Lee 3

By Scott Roberts; photos by Sue Volkert

“It sucks to lose your stuff.” Headliner Amy Ray succinctly proclaimed this during her rocking solo set at The EARL last Tuesday at the benefit for Magnapop guitarist/all-around swell person Ruthie Morris who lost, among other things, thousands of dollars worth of musical/recording equipment, the entire first pressing of the brand new Magnapop CD, and irreplaceable photos and personal memorabilia in the torrential flooding that hit Atlanta last September. And while the show may not have been able to actually replace what Morris lost, it served as a positive step toward her financial and emotional recovery, and allowed the giving spirit of Atlanta’s musical community to shine brightly. And rock!

The evening began with Knoxville’s Tim Lee 3, old friends of Ruthie’s and a favorite of Atlanta stages for years. Their unique brand of swampy, Southern pop, propelled by the often X-like harmonies of guitarist Lee and his bass playing wife Susan Bauer Lee (especially on “When The Roof Caves In”), pleased the steadily growing crowd and established the good vibe feeling of the evening.

Their set was punctuated by two huge highlights: Amy Ray joining them for a sweltering version of Neil Young’s “Cortez The Killer” and Morris herself, along with fellow Magnapopper Linda Hopper, coming up to do their own “Open The Door” ably backed by the trio.

Next up was Warm In The Wake, the once ubiquitous Atlanta quartet whose appearances have been more of a rarity these days. Their gentle, breezy, sometimes psychedelic-leaning acoustic guitar/electronic keyboard driven melodic pop was a perfect follow-up to the grittier Tim Lee 3. The band’s pleasant set closed with a reverent version of The Waterboys’ “Fisherman’s Blues” with Danny Barker’s keyboard filling on for the distinctive fiddle part of the original.

Amy Ray opened her set with a spine-tingling, acoustic guitar/harmonica version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Racing In The Street” that hushed the full EARL audience in two seconds flat. The veteran rocker continued to command attention throughout her selection of solo recorded material whether playing acoustic guitar, electric guitar, or mandolin, or whether alone or joined by newcomers A Fragile Tomorrow on several songs. Ray has always had that rare ability to exude equal parts superstar and next-door neighbor simultaneously and the crowd was more than appreciative. As was Ruthie Morris: “It feels like such an embrace from the music community in Atlanta. To be a musician and feel such support from your community is a very profound and touching feeling.”