Tampa, FL – Most shows I go to are contained and concise, each song more or less exactly how you heard it in your car or at home. All Them Witches, by contrast, is more of an experience than entertainment.
I remembered this somewhere midway through the setlist of ATW’s second Florida stop in October at the Orpheum in Tampa. It was probably the seamless transition between “Diamond” and “1×1” that sparked my memory.
This was my second time seeing ATW, the first coming two years prior in Orlando. While the 2023 setlist took a different direction, the experience remained just as powerful.
ATW formed 12 years ago in Nashville around the thunderous bass and vocals of Charles Michael Parks Jr., blistering guitar of Ben McLeod, steadfast beat of Robby Staebler and the keys of Allan Van Cleave. Collectively they’ve produced nine albums, including three live productions that actually come close to bottling the magic of an ATW show.
The setlist set the pace from the get-go with an extended jam of “Death of Coyote Woman.” Next was “Don’t Bring Me Coffee,” a shorter number that I honestly skip most of the time on Sleeping Through the War. The live performance definitely pushed it high on an already long list of favorite ATW songs.
“Saturnine and Iron Jaw” and “Enemy of My Enemy” really showcased the power of Parks’ bass, which he often wields like a rhythm guitar with fuzzy distortion to counter the bright spots of McLeod’s guitar.
With “Diamond” it was back to extended jams. Stretching out a song that’s already pushing six minutes on the album could quickly turn boring. The secret sauce, in my opinion, is the framework built by Parks and Staebler, which allows McLeod to layer and expand within the space of the song. While McLeod is incredibly talented as a guitarist, he’s thoughtful, not showy, poised, not pretentious. This is also a good point to spotlight Van Cleave, whose keys and violin sprinkle airy, gossamer notes over an often brooding and dark mix. Everyone takes their cue on the jam with a head nod, a smile, creating huge rich textures together that transport the crowd.
The only really new song to debut was “Hush, I’m on TV” at the tail end of the setlist. This one caught me off guard, because I spend a lot of time on the older albums. But the plodding verses and big chorus really lean into some of the best attributes of older stoner rock bands like Kyuss and Monster Magnet.
Setlist:
- The Death of Coyote Woman
- Don’t Bring Me Coffee
- Saturnine & Iron Jaw
- Enemy of my Enemy
- Dirt Preachers
- Diamond
- 1×1
- 3-5-7
- Workhorse
- Hush, I’m on TV
- Blood and Sand / Milk and Endless Water
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Opening up for ATW was GA-20, a Boston band playing Chicago Blues that took their name after a vintage Gibson amplifier. (You can’t get more American than that.) While they serve their Blues stripped down and raw, don’t confuse it for watered down.
Laying down licks on one side of the stage was Matthew Stubbs, formerly in the band of Blues legend Charlie Musselwhite. Laying out soulful lyrics was the other guitarist, Pat Faherty, and sandwiched in the middle was the solid drumming of Tim Carman. Together they served up catchy and accessible Blues that had everyone in the crowd tapping their toes.
Show Date: October 21, 2023
