Doug and Telisha Williams opened for Joe Ely and Joel Guzman at the April 24 Birchmere show and weren't they a pleasant surprise. This husband and wife duo have been playing together for years - from attending the same high school, attending different colleges, and through "normal" occupations. Finally, full time musicians, the duo have the playful chemistry of spouses accompanied by excellent vocal and musical talent.Telisha's voice is powerful - in the old school country tradition. Her vocals immediately grab your attention; a few audience members, including ourselves, exclaimed "wow" when they started. During most of the short set Doug kept the rhythm while Telisha sung and played the bass cello or mandolin. Most of their songs where off their CD Rope Around My Heart
, with the title track a playful love song that the two wrote together - about each other. "Nashville" was a great song that anyone who has spent a day at Tootsie's can appreciate. Coming on a future CD, "Learning to Drink Whiskey" was another fun song, where they describe how relationships and the process of drinking the spirit are quite similar. For the last song, "Bad Attitude", Doug was finally able to exhibit his vocals and play a more rockin' arrangement that was a great finale for the set.Doug and Telisha Williams have scheduled a full tour this summer playing festivals and small venues. Make sure you check MyJoog.com or their website for dates.
. The first show was Thursday April 24th at 
, 
, and If I Could Teach My Chihuahua to Sing. It could have been that both Ely and Guzman seemed more relaxed the second night; having a day to rest from the stresses of air travel and security lines and\or the affects of sipping a locally produced wine, 
and in the states, where his last release, 
, spent weeks in the U.S. Americana Top 10 chart. And Eaglesmith is probably the most popular non-Texan performer around Austin; who else can have a three day music festival named in their honor at historic 
, highlights the daily struggles of southern farmers; but if you really want to hear the him rock listen to 
. Or better yet, he plays anywhere between 150 and 200 shows a year - so attend one of these events and purchase one of his bootleg CDs. Eaglesmith also organizes or participates in several music festival throughout the year as well as two musical train trips. Where else can you become a Fredhead and watch polar bears on the same trip. Check his 
is a good CD to play during a party. Funny, good vocals, and smooth acoustics.
. As good as Earle sang and played, his sidekick Cory Younts almost stole the show playing the mandolin, banjo, and harmonica - at times two harmonicas at ounce. These two are perfect compliments both musically and as a comedy team - with Earle playing the straight man and Younts the comic. At times as I watching their performance I wondered if this is how the old Sun Records tours felt. And on the ride home I repeated the performance by listening to 
. South Georgia Sugar Babe and Hard Livin' are instant classics. This CD will stay in the rack for awhile.
. At the end the band was still energetic - coming back for an encore even after you could tell they were wiped and even huddling to catch their breathe before playing T for Texas to satisfy their fans.
