One Flew South, Pre-release party at Joe's Pub, 5/1

One Flew South, one of the newest bands on the country scene, performed with a natural ease in the New York concert space of Joe's Pub. The three band members joked effortlessly about the grumble of the subway as it passed underneath the floor while they concluded one of their more tender songs. It was a far cry from how many country artists react when the search for fame brings them from the safe confines of Music City to this gritty and unforgiving monster of a city, but there is good reason for this: unlike most country bands who venture to the music's veritable home in Nashville to make their mark, One Flew South came north to the Big Apple to land a deal with Decca/Universal Records after years of searching for the perfect trio.

One Flew South - (l-r)  Eddie Bush, Royal Reed, Chris Roberts.

One Flew South's members - Royal Reed (who boasts Broadway stints on his resume - and corresponding theatrical charm), Chris Roberts (who found his way to New York and Nashville "by way of Montana") and Eddie Bush (a "guitar hero," according to the band's website) - have an easy compatibility and a more worldly air than most of today's country artists. Armed with the talents of one of Nashville's esteemed songwriters, Marcus Hummon (writer of Rascal Flatts' "God Bless the Broken Road," as well as various hits by Tim McGraw, the Dixie Chicks, and others), One Flew South has an arsenal of thought-provoking and introspective songs that, while sometimes verging on preachy (the lyrics include lines about ""peddling Jesus like morphine" and "some cure-all pill," among others), assuage with beautiful harmonies and undeniably catchy melodies. Each song hits on life's vicissitudes, its harsh realities, and the artifice that can sometimes push us through that actuality, but each song does so in an uplifting way. The lyrics encourage an adventurous defiance of these universal problems of heartache, loneliness, and confusion in ways that most other country songs do not, and the result is a fresh message. A band with a title that itself signals a journey and brings a sense of adventure, One Flew South is poised to keep listeners entertained for the long haul. Their debut album, "Last of the Good Guys," will be out in stores on May 27th.