Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country Raleigh 2-15-2024

The momentum of Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country just keeps building… make sure to catch a ride on this train!

Words by: Maya Crumpton

Photos by; Jerry Friend

We were on the Road to Rooster Walk this evening at the Lincoln Theater, as Daniel Donato's Cosmic Country will be playing 2 sets there this May 23-26. With no opener, Daniel Donato's Cosmic Country graced the stage promptly at 8:01pm. The band consists of Daniel Donato on guitar and lead vocals, Sugar Legg (Nathan Aronowitz) on organ, keyboard, guitar and vocals, Mustang McGee (Will McGee) on upright and electric bass as well as vocals, and Will Clark on drums and vocals.

They began with "Half Moon Night" off their fantastic new album Reflector. Then they played "Good Old American Guest", written by Merle Haggard. Donato's signature space-twang guitar tone rang out as he played, and Sugar Legg's organ skills were shining. Continuing with another cover of Merle Haggard, they played "Workin' Man Blues". Mustang McGee played a killer bass solo and the crowd went wild. Returning to Reflector, they played "'Til The Daylight". Then they played "Fox On the Run", an English folk song written by Tony Hazzard in 1968. It was popularized by Manfred Mann, The Country Gentleman, and Tom T. Hall, each with their own different interpretations. It is also featured on 2021's Cosmic Country & Western Songs from Daniel Donato. This song highlighted the beautiful vocal harmonies the band can make.

"Broadside Ballad" was next, and it flowed seamlessly into "Hangman's Reel", a traditional tune. Until now the band had been warming the crowd up, playing songs only as long as 3-4 minutes. Once they felt everyone was ready, they really started jamming. Their instrumentation lifted everyone up and took them to outer space. The whole crowd was totally immersed. Donato's fantastic guitar techniques shine out on this song. Sugar Legg started out the next song with some beautiful keyboard and gracefully began playing "Down By the Riverside", a classic gospel song that predates the American Civil War. It has been recorded by the likes of Louis Armstrong, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, and Nat King Cole. Sugar Legg took the lead vocal on this one and showed off his expansive and notably high range. Next was "Hi-Country", the second single supporting the release of Reflector.

"Passing Storm" came next, which started out innocently. Then it started growing into a monster of a song. First it had some very strong prog-rock elements. Then it built upward and outward, and Daniel triggered some crazy guitar effects reminiscent of lightning strikes. There were multiple times during this song my jaw dropped and I had to turn to my friends to make sure they were hearing this too. It got jazzy, using weird time signatures, it got spacey, but most of all it had drive and ambition. It kept everyone on their toes because there was no way to know where it was going, you just had to be along for the ride. The band made a smooth landing with it, going back into the final verses and chorus, reining everyone back in from wherever the song took them in time for set break. At the end Daniel announced it was a brand new song. Here's a video I got of about 11 minutes out of the 18 minute runtime of the song: .

This song finished off the first set, which was a good move because everyone needed some time to process what they'd just witnessed.

Set 2 began at 9:31pm and "Forgotten Days" from A Young Man's Country is what started it off. This high-tempo song got the crowd back to dancing, and there were many instrumental breaks for one instrument to solo at a time. They jammed this one out for 15 minutes, getting cosmic with it in the middle and then they played straight into "Valhalla" was 13 minutes long and got good and funky at times, continuing to show the versatility of the band. "Free Wheelin'" was next and Mustang McGee took the lead vocal here. Going back to Reflector, they began "Weathervane". Again, they got really funky on this one. The song then transformed into a silky cover of "Blue Skies", written by Irving Berlin in 1926 and has since been performed by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Willie Nelson, and Frank Sinatra. "Weathervane" picked right back up after the final word of "Blue Skies", making a complete song sandwich that lasted 24 minutes. They ramped the intensity of their playing back up and the crowd was into it. Next they played the first single from Reflector, "Lose Your Mind". With so much marvelous jamming, it's easy to lose your mind in the music, immersed in the complex textures of the sounds the band produces. They played straight into "Waymore's Blues" by Waylon Jennings and featured on Daniel's album Cosmic Country & Western Songs. Near the middle of the song everyone gave their best howl, responding to the lyric "You gotta make a commotion like a D-O-G". The tempo of their playing sped up and you could hear the train approaching from 'round the bend. This is when they went into "Mystery Train". Some really fast improvisation happened and it was a great way to close out the second set.

The crowd banded together to chant "one more song" and they were rewarded quickly with the encore being "Boogie Man" by Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant. The crowd was getting down to this very funky version Daniel Donato's Cosmic Country played.

Daniel mentioned part way through the set that this was their first time selling out the Lincoln Theater, and how good it felt. They were well deserving of a full crowd. This was my third time seeing them. My first Cosmic Country experience was at Rooster Walk 13, where I caught both sets in the weekend. I was definitely captivated after my first experience and wanted to see them again. This came true when I saw their set at the Fall Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival last October. There was something particularly magical about that set. I think many factors were coming into play to create such an atmosphere there. After that, I wanted to make sure to see the band any time they will be in my area. This third experience continued to wow me. Every time I see this band they've gotten better. They're constantly improving and pushing the envelope of their sound. They are on a steady upward trajectory and they are not a band you want to miss. I look forward to catching both of their sets at the upcoming Rooster Walk 14!

Listen to this show on Archive.org

Setlist:

Set 1:

Half Moon Night

Good Old American Guest

Workin' Man Blues

'Til The Daylight

Fox On The Run >

Broadside Ballad >

Hangman's Reel

Down By The Riverside

Hi-Country