About two weeks ago I got a tweet from my friend and local music blogger Taylor Hutchcraft asking if I was going to see Cale Dodds at The Windjammer, here in South Carolina. Cale Dodds? Who is Cale Dodds? Unfortunately for me, I had been missing out on great talent for awhile. Maybe if I had been keeping up with my music collection I would have noticed my best friend and fellow country music blogger Megan sent me his EP not long after it was released. Thank goodness I’m aware now though! It was short notice to make it to his show at The Windjammer but I pulled up his tour schedule and quickly decided on the show at Wild Wings Cafe.
The morning of the show I decided I would get a nap in after work, then join the Got Country Online Twitter Party, before heading down to Mt. Pleasant for the show. Then Cale made a post about playing cornhole around 7. Hanging out playing cornhole sounds a whole lot better than sitting on the couch at home so I readjusted my plans to make it, pulling up to the venue just before 7. While sitting near the outside bar I heard my name. When I turned around I swear it was Josh Bowman who plays Daniel Grayson on ABC’s Revenge.
See what I mean? If not, just imagine both of them with a pair of Ray Bans on. Cale greeted me with a big hug and that gorgeous smile. When we got the hello and how are you out of the way, we searched for the rest of the band to get two more players for a game of cornhole. We decided on a one-on-one game which turned into an impromptu and informal interview, for both of us! I should have made a mental note when another contributor once mentioned that the artist turned her questions back on her. As I mentioned before, Cale put out a 5 song EP in May (you can download it HERE) but I was already asking about when we could expect more music. So far he has two more recorded which brought out a great question. What would you rather hear from Cale next, another EP or a full album? You’d probably be surprised to know he played hockey in high school, along with his brother Chase (drums). He was shocked that I, from South Carolina, knew anything about hockey while I was shocked that he, from Georgia, played hockey. Only 3 Georgians have made it into the NHL and they no longer have a hockey team. He was born and raised in Columbus and attended Columbus State College while touring until he made the highly coveted move to Nashville. I didn’t think to ask what he was studying but I believe he made the right choice, unless he was looking to be a doctor. What? I’m just thinking that maybe he could have been the real life McDreamy or McSteamy! But seriously, I’m glad he pursued his musical dreams and you will be too when you see him live. After a very intense game of cornhole (that Cale almost lost) and some filming for his on the road videos, we headed inside so I could meet the rest of the band before soundcheck. I previously mentioned his brother Chase who plays drums. There’s also Ryan on the guitar and Gabe on the bass guitar. I chatted with Chase, a fellow band nerd, about their visits to Charleston, our sister city Savannah, the nightlife in Charlotte, and of course Nashville. One day I’ll make it there. For now I just listen to stories. After soundcheck we noticed that the boys didn’t have the best crowd, but Cale didn’t mind. He kept making jokes about my friends and I having to fight the invisible #1 fans who had been staking out the front row for hours.
Since it was more of an intimate setting than a show at a venue such as House of Blues or Music Farm, Cale asked for requests to add to his set list. But I was just too excited to hear the new music he spoke of earlier. They played 4 of the 5 songs off his EP: the title track “Wild and Reckless“, along with “Get You Higher, Run“, and the crowd-enhanced “That’s When I Knew“. I wonder if he ever plays “Say Yes” live. It would be the perfect song to help an avid country music fan propose to his girlfriend. They performed “Preach” which they had played a little of during soundcheck. I quickly learned what words I could. But my favorite song was a new one of his that he said he wrote while staying at a cabin called “Must Be Dreaming”. Bear with me as I loosely remember the exact words going something like “talking about our future and now you’re talking about leaving.” Cale – don’t kill me if I totally butchered that but please correct me! It was hard to fight back the emotions during this song because I recently went through it. My future had been all planned out. There was a notebook full of renovation plans, a binder full of wedding details, and a Pinterest board full of houme building ideas. Now everything has been trashed and my wedding dress sits in my neighbor’s closet. I had the perfect set of emotions to roll into a song, yet I’m not talented enough to write. Therefore I’m glad to have stumbled upon a song that can spill out my thoughts for me. That’s what I love about country music. You can find a song for just about everything you may encounter in life. The band had a lot of fun with the covers. I mean, “Semi-Charmed Life“. I have definitely never considered that to be a good cover, but the boys pulled it off. I believe they covered all decades and genres, from “Play that Funky Music” to “Use Somebody“. During the break Cale even made friends with a local who happened to play guitar and joined them onstage for a song during the second set. One thing I noticed on stage was that there wasn’t a single acoustic guitar throughout the whole show. I found this odd, yet interesting, and I hope to follow up with Cale soon to find out about that.
This night was so much fun. I’m glad I didn’t talk myself out of going. I’ll remember it for a long time. I didn’t want the night to end. The hospitality Cale showed was amazing. He is so down to earth and extremely interactive with fans. Actually, I’m pretty sure you could call his fans an extension of his friends. And his talent? I could listen to him sing for days without growing tired of him. Actually, to be honest, I have. Since it was only his second show in the Charleston area and the fan base is still growing, I wanted to make sure I knew every word to every song on his EP so I listened to it 24/7. Now I’m reaching out to local venues to see if we can keep Cale coming back to Charleston. However I do plan on making a road trip or two to see him again this year. I’m actually dying to see him perform in front of a packed house. I suggest you do the same. You won’t be disappointed, I promise.
To make sure you keep up with all things Cale Dodds, you can follow him HERE as well as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You won’t be disappointed.
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