Daniel Donato Hosts Guest-Filled Christmas Jam At Brooklyn Bowl Nashville

Daniel Donato's Cosmic Country welcomed a cavalcade of special guests over the course of their two-night 2025 Christmas Jam run at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville on Friday and Saturday. Pedal steel guitarist Mike Drassler and drummer/percussionist Jon Radford augmented the quartet’s lineup for the bulk of both shows, which also featured cameos by Kyle Tuttle, Lindsay Lou, Ronnie McCoury, Maggie Rose, Kris Myers, Peter Levin, Kyser George, Alicia Blue, Dee White and Willow Osborne.

Guitarist Daniel Donato, keyboardist/guitarist Nathan “Sugar Leg” Aronowitz, drummer Will “Bronco” Clark and bassist Will “Mustang” McGee took the stage with Drassler and Radford on Friday night to kick off Donato’s third annual Christmas Jam. The expanded Cosmic Country lineup opened with “Rose In A Garden” and then strung together “Broadside Ballad” and “Hangman’s Reel” before Shadowgrass guitarist Kyser George joined the fray for “Darlin’ Cory,” a debut cover of Tony Rice’s “Cattle In The Cane” and the group’s first take on the traditional “Jack-A-Roe” since August.

Kyle Tuttle emerged next on banjo and vocals, as he sat-in with Cosmic Country, Drassler, Radford and George on a first-time version of Charlie Monroe’s “Bringin’ In The Georgia Mail,” which was followed by a cover of the Elvis Presley-popularized “Mystery Train.” The opening stanza moved forward with the Cosmic Country debut of the Osbourne Brothers’ “Lonesome Feeling” featuring Tuttle and musical partner Lindsay Lou fronting the core six musicians. Next, Tuttle and Lou holding her infant child assembled with Donato around a single mic to perform the traditional “Banks Of The Ohio” and a first-time cover of John Prine’s “Christmas In Prison.” Lindsay Lou stuck around to front Donato, McGee, Aronowitz, Clark, Drassler and Radford on a set-closing rendition of Otis Redding’s “Hard To Handle,” yet another Cosmic Country premiere.

The core band began the second set with “Blame The Rain” and “Cosmic Country Gardens.” From there, Ronnie McCoury emerged for first-time covers of Earl Scruggs’ “Passin’ Thru,” The Beatles’ “Rocky Raccoon” and Patty Loveless/Ricky Skaggs’ “Daniel Prayed.” A “Kentucky Mando Jam” came between “Passin’ Thru” and “Rocky Raccoon.” It was then former Umphrey’s McGee drummer Kris Myers replacing Radford on the second drum kit for the Cosmic Country debut of The Band’s “Up On Cripple Creek,” a pairing of the Allman Brothers’ “Blue Sky” and “Jessica” along with a take on Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire” featuring Sugar Leg on lead vocals and guitar.

Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country, Radford and Drassler closed out Friday’s second set with a “Luck Of The Draw” that bled into “Sugar Leg Rag.” The six musicians then returned for a “Run Run Rudolph” encore, marking Donato’s first cover of the Chuck Berry-penned Christmas classic since December 16, 2023.

Mike Drassler and Jon Radford were back for the entirety of Daniel Donato’s Christmas Jam 2025 finale on Saturday. The expanded Cosmic Country lineup got the evening underway with “Sunshine In The Rain (Strange Presence).” Sugar Leg then moved over to guitar as Peter Levin took over on keys and Maggie Rose sang a cover of “Angel From Montgomery.” Rose channeled Susan Tedeschi as Maggie and the band fit the Cosmic Country debut of the Grateful Dead’s “Sugaree” within the John Prine-penned gem a la Tedeschi Trucks Band. Out came Alicia Blue next to lead Donato’s first take on Hank Williams’ “Lost Highway” and a breakout cover of Gram Parsons’ “Ooh, Las Vegas,” which was last played by Cosmic Country on June 22, 2024.

Donato brought out Dee White on acoustic guitar and vocals next for takes on his originals “Up The Creek,” “Sugar” and “Me & Jesus.” The last portion of Saturday’s first set was devoted to banjoist/vocalist Willow Osborne leading the core musicians through “Wayside (Back In Time),” “Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down,” “Reuben’s Train” and “I’ll Fly Away.” Traditional songs “Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down” and “I’ll Fly Away” were the final Cosmic Country debuts of the weekend.

Cosmic Country, Drassler and Radford began Saturday’s second set sans any additional guests with “Fortunate Sparrow,” “Forgotten Days,” “Valhalla” and “Boogie Man.” The latter, a song written by Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant, saw the band sub “Santa Claus” for “Boogie Man.” Next up were “Country Boy” and “Faded Lovin'” ahead of a set-closing “Dance In The Desert” featuring a drum solo intro and Aronowitz moving between guitar and keys. The weekend concluded with a “Half Moon Night” encore, which included a take on Hank Williams’ “I Saw The Light” within.

Watch official livestream replays of both nights at nugs with an All Access subscription.

Setlists (via DanielBase.net)

Friday, December 5

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Saturday, December 6

Set One [1] [2]: Sunshine In The Rain (Strange Presence) Angel From Montgomery > [3] [4] [5] Sugaree (FTP) > [3] [4] [5] Angel From Montgomery (Reprise) [3] [4] [5], Lost Highway (FTP) [6], Ooh, Las Vegas [7], Up The Creek (FTP) [8], Sugar (FTP) [8], Me And Jesus (FTP) [8], Wayside (Back in Time) [9] [10], Satan Your Kingdom Must Come Down (FTP) > [9] [10] Reuben’s Train [9] [10], I’ll Fly Away (FTP) [9] [10]

Set Two [1] [2]: Fortunate Sparrow, Forgotten Days > Valhalla > Boogie Man [11], Country Boy, Faded Lovin’, Dance In The Desert [12] [13]

Encore: Half Moon Night > I Saw The Light > Half Moon Night (Reprise)

Annotations

• [1] Mike Drassler On Steel Guitar (Set)
• [2] Jon Radford On Percussion (Set)
• [3] Maggie Rose On Lead Vocals (Song)
• [4] Peter Levin On Keys (Song)
• [5] Nathan Aronowitz On Guitar (Song)
• [6] Alicia Blue On Acoustic Guitar And Vocals (Song)
• [7] Alicia Blue On Vocals (Song)
• [8] Dee White On Acoustic Guitar And Vocals (Song)
• [9] Willow Osbourne On Banjo And Vocals (Song)
• [10] Daniel On Acoustic Guitar (Song)
• [11] Replaced “Boogie Man” With “Santa Claus” (Song)
• [12] Drum Solo Intro (Song)
• [13] Nathan Aronowitz On Guitar And Keys (Song)