is Southern music. It’s not all country-fied and roots rock. We’re starting to dig in to get a pretty deep song list, instead of everything sounding like four chords then a slide solo.” Beyond expanding the scope of what’s considered part of the Great Southern Songbook, Ezzell also has an aim toward what he called “future sight.” “I want to get to the point where Jesse and I can turn this over to some younger talent and keep it going,” Ezzell continues. “There is some animosity around here, about the same people doing the same stuff all the time. I don’t want to perpetuate that any more than anyone else. I want to be able to stumble across a 20-30 year old person and realize, ‘That is the person who needs to be leading the next generation in this town.’” As owner/operator of the Loft, Buddy Nelms has a unique perspective on the torch passing between generational talent, as he has overseen a stage that’s basically been the only game in town for 30-plus years. When dozens of area musicians came to the Loft to jam in a mournful tribute to beloved, late musician Kenny Lewis this past spring, the vibe was “real warm,” Nelms recalls, “A heartfelt reunion.” It is in that very familing feeling, that communal spirit, that inspired Nelms to bring back Wednesday night to the live-music rotation. That night was the first thing the Loft had hosted on a Wednesday since COVID, before which the gentlemen jammers in Mango Strange raged deep into the night for several years. Inspired, Nelms then made “a dream of mine” come true and bought a Hammond B3 organ— the longtime, signature sound in Georgia’s soulful blend of blues, and now a focal point for the Sweet South series. Jokingly calling himself “a recovering Southern Baptist,” Nelms believes this cherished instrument — the heartbeat of gospel music traditions, beloved for its cascading waterfalls of sound — will “take people to church.” “I’ve long considered the Loft to be a church — a church without guilt,” he says. “When you go to church, you’re looking for something. When you climb those stairs up into the Loft, you’re also looking for something. And you can have a real spiritual moment there. Because we have that kind of fellowship; we celebrate with music, we break bread together. You can come in for a Wednesday night and, you know, life is pretty good for a moment.” u
Kenny Lewis LocaL
21
DECEMBER 2023
