Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country Caps Rooster Walk 16 Set With Keller Williams Collaborations

Daniel Donato's Cosmic Country headlined the Friday night action at Rooster Walk 16. Donato’s fifth consecutive appearance at the Memorial Day Weekend festival in Axton, Virginia culminated with a pair of Cosmic Country debuts featuring special guests Keller Williams and Sam on Sax.

The two-hour set began with a “Justice” that bled into a cover of The Allman Brothers Band’s “Jessica.” Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country then devoted the next 19 minutes to an improv-laden “Eleven Eleven” before the foursome worked through “Lady Justice,” “Luck Of The Draw” and “Sugar Leg Rag.” The latter showcased Cosmic Country multi-instrumentalist Nathan “Sugar Leg” Aronowitz, who then fronted “Sugar Shack.”

The oft-played “Sittin’ On Top Of The World” preceded a “Broadside Ballad” linked with “Hangman’s Reel.” From there, the quartet served up “Blame The Train” and connected “Ten Feet Of Rope” with an expansive “Dance In The Desert.”

Daniel Donato then brought out fellow Rooster Walk performer Keller Williams to lead Cosmic Country through two songs. Williams was accompanied by Sam on Sax, the nom-de-plume of North Carolina-based saxophonist Sam Skelton.

Up first was the Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country debut of the Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers hit “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” a song covered regularly by Keller Williams. Donato chimed in with harmonies while Williams was tasked with lead vocal duties.

Keller Williams stuck around to lead Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country and Sam on Sax on his own song “Kidney In A Cooler.” The second Cosmic Country debut in as many songs stayed relatively concise. Bassist Will “Mustang” McGee and drummer Will “Bronco” Clark connected on a breakdown during the set-closing “Kidney In A Cooler” performance.

Watch fan-shot video of Keller Williams and Sam on Sax teaming with Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country on ‘Kidney In A Cooler’ below. Scroll on for official full-show audio, the setlist and photos from the Rooster Walk 16 performance.