Daniel Donato Hosts Cavalcade Of Guests For Cosmic Country Christmas Celebration In Nashville

Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country held a celebratory two-show run at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville last Friday and Saturday nights. The local guitarist’s Cosmic Country Christmas celebration was loaded with special guests, with Mickey Raphael, Ronnie McCoury, Duane Trucks, Maggie Rose, Kris Myers and Cris Jacobs among the many guests who joined in the festivities in Music City.

Friday’s first show featured Jordan Molacek on pedal steel guitar for the entirety of the two set show. Widespread Panic drummer Duane Trucks played a second kit alongside Cosmic Country drummer Will “Bronco” Clark for the majority of the show as well. Guitarist Guthrie Trapp came out during the first set for takes on “Sittin’ On Top Of World” and “Ghost Riders In The Sky.” Set one also saw Dee White augment “Long Black Veil” and “I Saw The Light.”

Set two on Friday consisted of Donato giving a nod to his hometown by premiering a cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘Nashville Skyline Rag” with Shadowgrass guitarist Kyser George sitting in. George remained for a debut cover of “One More Night,” also from Dylan’s album Nashville Skyline. By the end of the set, all 10 songs on Dylan’s 1969 would make the setlist.

George was also on hand for the subsequent “The Gold Rush.” Drummer Jon Radford and singer-songwriter J.D. Simo were next to emerge for “To Be Alone With You,” the debut of “Peggy Day” sung by Cosmic Country keyboardist Nathan “Sugarleg” Aronowitz, “Walkin’ The Dog” and “Big River.”

Trucks and Simo exited and Cosmic Country bassist Will “Mustang” McGee then took lead vocals on Bob Dylan’s “Lay, Lady, Lay” and a first-time offering of “I Threw It All Away.” Dylan covers kept coming with Cris Jacobs helping out on “Country Pie” and “Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn).” Country singer Caylee Hammack was the next guest for the Nashville Skyline opening track, “Girl From The North Country” and fellow album track, “Tell Me That It Isn’t True.”

Bronco was tasked with singing lead on the 10th and final song off Nashville Skyline, “Tonight I’ll be Staying Here With You,” with Umphrey’s McGee drummer Kris Myers also on board. Myers sang lead on the show-closing cover of The Doobie Brothers classic “Long Train Runnin’.”

Night two was another guest-aided affair, with banjo player Willow Osborne the first to join Donato and his band. Osborne went head-to-head with Donato on a debut cover of Billy Strings’ “Reuben’s Train.” The pair then picked their way through a first-time performance of Django Reinhardt’s “Minor Swing.”

Renowned harmonica player Mickey Raphael was next to take the Brooklyn Bowl stage. The longtime member of Willie Nelson’s Family Band added his signature harmonica to “Drivin’ Nails In My Coffin” and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” Ronnie McCoury of the Del McCoury Band showed up next to add mandolin to “Long Lonesome Road” and “Foggy Mountain Top.”

Duane Trucks was back on the extra drum kit for Donato’s premiere attempt at the Grateful Dead’s “Loser.” McCoury and Raphael left the stage for the “Broadside Ballad” into “Hangman’s Reel” combo that led into Saturday’s set break.

Ronnie McCoury was back for the start of set two, playing mandolin on the first five songs of the set, including a debut of Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds.” Singer/guitarist JesseLee Jones and percussionist Jon Radford were also part of the set’s opening sequence. Tim McDonald was tapped for “Southbound” and the debut of a reggae arrangement of “Walking in Memphis.”

The penultimate song of Saturday’s second set was The Allman Brothers Band’s “Whipping Post,” augmented by vocalist Maggie Rose, guitarist Quinn Sullivan and keyboardist Peter Levin. Donato’s joyous original, “Dance In The Desert,” closed out the show and weekend of celebration in Nashville.

On-demand replays of Friday and Saturday’s livestreams are available to nugs.net subscribers. Watch free previews of the nugs.net livestreams below.

Setlists (via DanielBase)

December 13

Set One: Sunshine In The Rain (Strange Presence) [1], Lady Justice [1], Sittin’ On Top Of World [1][2][3], Ghost Riders In The Sky (Instrumental) [1][2][3], Long Black Veil [1][3][4], I Saw The Light [1][3][4], Weathervane [1][3], Blue Skies [1][3], Weathervane (Reprise) [1][3], Why You Been Gone So Long [1][3]

Set Two: Nashville Skyline Rag (FTP) [1][3][5], One More Night (FTP) [1][3][5], The Gold Rush [1][3][5], To Be Alone With You [1][3][6][7], Peggy Day (FTP) [1][3][6][7][8], Walkin’ The Dog [1][3][6][7], Big River [1][3][6][7], Lay, Lady, Lay [1][6][9], I Threw It All Away (FTP) [1][6][9], Country Pie [1][6][10], Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn) [1][6][10], Girl From The North Country (FTP) [1][6][11], Tell Me That It Isn’t True (FTP) [1][6][11], Tonight I’ll be Staying Here With You (FTP) [1][6][12][13], Long Train Runnin’ [1][6][14], Happy Birthday

Notes:

• [1] Jordan Molacek On Pedal Steel
• [2] Guthrie Trapp On Guitar
• [3] Duane Truck On Drums
• [4] Dee White On Vocals And Guitar
• [5] Kyser George On Guitar
• [6] Jon Radford On Drums
• [7] JD Simo On Vocals And Guitar
• [8] Nathan Aronowitz On Lead Vocals
• [9] Will McGee On Lead Vocals
• [10] Cris Jacobs On Lead Vocals And Guitar
• [11] Caylee Hammack On Lead Vocals
• [12] Will Clark On Vocals
• [13] Kris Myers On Drums
• [14] Kris Myers On Vocals And Drums

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December 14

Set One: Half Moon Night, Blame The Train, Gotta Get Southbound, Reuben’s Train (FTP) [1], Minor Swing (FTP) [2], Dark Hollow [1], Drivin’ Nails In My Coffin [3], I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry [4], Long Lonesome Road (FTP) [5][4], Foggy Mountain Top (FTP) [5][4], Loser (FTP) [3][4][6], Broadside Ballad [6], Hangman’s Reel [6]

Set Two: Workin’ Man Blues [5], Truck Drivin’ Man [5], Doggone Cowboy [5][7][8], Suspicious Minds (FTP) [5][7][8], Big Iron [5][7][8], Southbound [8][9], Walking in Memphis (FTP) [8][9][10], Snake Farm (FTP) [6][8], Luck Of The Draw [6][8], Sugar Leg Rag [8][8], Whipping Post [8][11][12][13], Dance In The Desert [8][8]

Notes:

• [1] Willow Osbourne On Vocals And Banjo
• [2] Willow Osbourne On Banjo
• [3] Mickey Raphael On Harmonica
• [4] Ronnie McCoury On Vocals And Mandolin
• [5] Ronnie McCoury On Mandolin
• [6] Duane Trucks On Drums
• [7] Jesse Lee Jones On Vocals And Guitar
• [8] Jon Radford On Percussion
• [9] Tim McDonald On Vocals And Keys
• [10] Reggae Rendition
• [11] Maggie Rose On Vocals
• [12] Quinn Sullivan On Guitar