Fake skulls adorned the wall, rubber spiders sat on the bar and a witch hat perched on the head of a stuffed coyote high above the stage inside the Mercury Lounge on the Saturday before Halloween. Amid all these tricks, there was a quite a treat, and her name happens to be Jamie Lin Wilson. A day after her newest album, Jumping Over Rocks, was released, Jamie treated her Okie fans to a stellar show at Tulsa’s Mercury Lounge, with a setlist packed with new and old songs.
Accompanied by a full band, to include John Fullbright on accordion, Roger Ray on the pedal steel, Josh Flowers on the upgright bass, Scott Davis on lead guitar (who also produced Jumping Over Rocks) and Giovanni Carnuccio III on drums, Jamie Lin started her set with “The Being Gone” and “Eyes for You” both songs off of Jumping Over Rocks. Although most of the songs in the set did come from Jumping Over Rocks, there were a few surprises like, “Little Sweet Cigars” a song from Jamie’s time with The Trishas, one of two groups that she was a part of before going solo, as well as “Yours and Mine” and “Old Oldmosbile”, both off her previous album, Holidays and Wedding Rings. “Just Like Heartache” another song off of Holidays and Wedding Brings brought out the dancers in the crowd, as couples two-stepped to the steady beat. The song “Ordinary People” an oldie, but goodie off of the Dirty Blonde Hair EP, also made an appearance in the setlist. There were so many great songs, that it’s difficult for me to name one song from the night that is my favorite. “Run,” which is Jamie’s advice on what to do in a bad relationship and “Oklahoma Stars” a co-write with Turnpike Troubadours’ Evan Felker, are probably the high spots of the evening for me, but honestly, you can’t go wrong with any song that Jamie played in her set.
Listening to Jamie introduce the songs is like sitting down with your friend that always has great stories, but is never in a hurry to get to the end of the story. Having never heard Jamie play live, I’ve never heard the stories, so it was a learning experience for me. Before the night was over, I learned the backstory of the song, “Everybody’s Movin Slow”, was due to a particularly long delay in Tulsa while trying to rent a car to visit a friend, and if anyone should ever quiz me on the house Jamie and her husband live in, how it was acquired and why it hasn’t been remodeled since 1983, I can now give them the details after listening to the intro to the song, “Yours and Mine”.
There’s something that draws you to Jamie Lin Wilson. Maybe it’s her short blonde hair always peeking out underneath one of her stylish hats. Or maybe it’s her Instagram account and her hashtag #realhousewivesofdhanis, that shows her exactly as she is, a mom of four, who also happens to be a talented songwriter and a touring musician. Whatever it is, Jamie is someone you should be aware of, see when she tours through your town and pick up her newest album. You can find touring dates for her here: https://jamielinwilson.com/#shows
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