Red Wanting Blue at City Winery

Scott Terry

Born in West Milford, New Jersey, Scott Terry sang in choirs and a cappella groups while growing up in Moorestown, New Jersey. While attending university in 1995 in Athens, Ohio, he formed Red Wanting Blue (also known as RWB). Red Wanting Blue released two albums while the band members were students. After college, the musicians relocated in 1999 to Columbus, Ohio, and began recording and touring full time. Terry is the sole remaining original member of Red Wanting Blue. The band’s current lineup consists of Terry on vocals, ukulele and guitar,  Greg Rahm on guitar, Eric Hall on lap steel and guitar, Mark McCullough on bass, and Dean Anshutz on drums. Red Wanting Blue's 11th studio album, The Wanting, was released on April 27, 2018. Terry currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.

The Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) held its annual conference in New York shortly after the start of the new year and hosted numerous showcases, some of which were open to the public. One such showcase featured Red Wanting Blue at City Winery. With five artists on the bill, the band performed a shorter set than usual, but nevertheless capably demonstrated the dynamics of a solid rocking heartland band. The band performed eight songs from its more recent catalogue, starting with the newer "High and Dry," in which Terry sang uplifting lyrics in a rich, deep voice: "I want to stand on my own two feet again / And when I mess up / That’s when I hope my friends will pick me up." Overall, the earthy feel-good songs highlighted Terry's rugged, passionate baritone, the band's light melodic arrangements, and a blue-collar sensibility that seemed to say "We are you, and you are we." Maybe that message was an appropriate reminder for the industry professionals attending the performance.

Setlist:

1. High and Dry
2. Walking Shoes
3. I've Got a Feeling It Hurts
4. Younger Years
5. Hope on a Rope
6. My Name Is Death
7. Finger in the Air
8. Hitchhiker's Lullaby