The Wild Feathers make the leap

The Wild Feathers may not necessarily have predicted they were in prime position when they opened for headliner ZZ Ward at the Paradise club less than a mile away back in October.

But the Nashville-based band sure probably isn't considering that any more if it ever did. The Feathers made a solid impression then, and it showed because they were back in town headlining and drawing some of the very same crowd from the Paradise show.

The Stonesy rock with a large dose of Tom Petty, the Allmans and Black Crowes thrown in with a touch of country here and there proved The Wild Feathers were not one and done in a very solid, engaging set before about 300 plus fans.

The Wild Feathers honed in on easy to get into fast-paced songs such as the bluesy, roots rocking and very fine "Backwoods Company" The country vibe ("The Ceiling") more often than not came to the fore with the pedal steel playing of Preston Wimberly, who added just the right touch. Wimberly also took a chunk of lead guitar lines, trading off with Taylor Burns.

They also benefitted from multiple lead vocalists and at times four-part harmonies. Ricky Young takes a chunk of the lead vocals along with Burns and Joel King, who also plays bass. Burns was the most effusive of the singers, but all had chopcs. Perhaps the only drawback was that there was no particular focal point, but maybe that underscored the idea that this is a band.

Going from opener to headliner isn't particularly easy, especially within a few months, but The Wild Feathers made it more than clear they were up to the task in what would be a strong night of music from three bands.

Sandwich act Saints of Valory have an interesting background in that lead singer Gavin Jasper was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, teaming up with guitarist Godfrey Thomson and keyboardist Stephen Buckle, who hung there as well, before they all moved to Austin.

The group, with a four-song EP released last summer and a full length in the can awaiting the mercy of their label, Atlantic, for release, channels U2 and Coldplay for a chunk of meaty, well put together songs. Saints of Valory may not necessarily be long on originality, but they were very good in delivering a slew of well-crafted songs.

Jamestown Revival, ostensibly a duo of long-time best friends from Texas, Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance, may have bottled what The Wild Feathers achieved a few months ago. Like the Feathers, chances were ultra strong that hardly anyone in the crowd - and most of the people were in the house for the openers - knew anything about Jamestown Revival unless they were versed in American history.

They appeared on Conan O'Brien recently, giving themselves a step up. But more importantly Jamestown Revival, made the most of their opening stint opting for the strongest country vibe of the night. Song craft ruled on this night, and Jamestown Revival was party to that as well.

The night all culminated with "The Weight" by the The Band, the closing song of The Wild Feathers' encore with both opening bands showing up on stage. There's something to be said for making the most of chances, and all three bands did just that.