Shane Smith & The Saints @ Red Rocks

Shane Smiths & The Saints put on a beautiful show at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheater on May 7, 2024. With Hayes Carll and 49 Winchester kicking off the night, it was one hell of a time.

Hayes Carll

Singer and songwriter Hayes Carll is an artist whose rootsy sound finds room for the playful swagger of rock & roll. The relatable storytelling of country, and the thoughtful introspection of folk. Capable of singing about boozy debauchery and relationships in the balance with equal skill. Carll rose through the ranks of the Americana community after emerging on the scene in the early 2000s. 2005’s self-released Little Rock, a commercial and critical breakthrough. 2011’s KMAG YOYO and 2016’s Lovers and Leavers, widely acclaimed as among his finest work. 2021’s You Get It All found him embracing a purer country influence.

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49 Winchester

Hailing from Castlewood, Virginia (population: 2.045) in the desolate backwoods of Southern Appalachia — a place where opportunity seldom knocks — 49 Winchester came to fruition when Isaac Gibson, his childhood best friend, Chase Chafin, and his hometown crony, guitarist Bus Shelton, decided to step off the front porch (on Winchester Street) and take their music to whatever stage would have ’em.

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Shane Smith & The Saints

Named after the northern winds that blow across Texas during the winter, Norther, the upcoming new album from Shane Smith & the Saints, is anything but monochromatic. They continue to work during breaks in the band’s touring schedule. The album captures Shane Smith and the Saints at their most colorful. They are offering up a hard-hitting version of American roots music with country, folk, and roadhouse rock & roll influences. It’s a sound that’s been shaped by the road, where the Saints spent the past decade on tour, building a cult audience with each gig.

Those years of raw, redemptive performances are now paying off — not only with headlining concerts at bucket-list venues like Red Rocks Amphitheater (which the group sold out in 36 hours) and the Ryman Auditorium, but also with an appearance on the hit TV show Yellowstone, where the Saints premiered Norther’s final track, “Fire in the Ocean,” with an onscreen performance.

For an independent band like Shane Smith and the Saints, the work is never done. “It’s like you can’t help but feel like you’ve paid your dues to get to a certain spot, but once you get there, you realize you’re just starting to touch the surface of the bigger picture,” Smith admits.

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