Tahoe Onstage photos by Larry Sabo
When Marty O’Reilly and The Old Soul Orchestra arrived onstage Friday, June 11, at Crystal Bay Casino’s Crown Room, the musicians smiled with the anticipation of a fun filled evening. The audience also was ready for some innovative sounds, which this band is known for delivering.
O’Reilly asked the audience if this was their first show they’d seen this year. There were quite a few hands that were raised, and he welcomed them to the return of live music.
O’Reilly started the first of his two shows on this night with a wonderful solo performance of “Going to the Country.” Each show had its own energy.
Chris Lynch plays the fiddle with so much soul and love for the instrument. It’s fun to watch him perform barefoot and on his knees, feeling the stage’s vibration. Ben Berry plays the stand-up bass. Matt Goff is the percussionist. Together this group mesmerized the audience.
O’Reilly said they recorded an album just before the world shut down. They plan to release the first new song June 24. They plan an album release party at The Independent in San Francisco. O’Reilly played quite a few of his new songs during the evening. He told the audience that he likes to take lyrics from old blues tunes and turns them into his own.
At this point he played his version of “Hard Time Killing Floor” which is a Skip James tune. The big moment during this song, was when Lynch performed a solo on his violin, dancing on his knees. They played “Shine on Me” with O’Reilly on slide guitar, and Goff contributing with an amazing drum solo.
Sara Strader of Truckee said, “I saw Marty O’Reilly at the last Hangtown Halloween Music Festival in 2019. I remember they were one of the first bands that played. I had no clue who they were, they were so awesome and that’s why I’m here now!”
As they continued there show, everyone was dancing and smiling. There were great jams with lots of fiddle and slide guitar moves from O’Reilly. When they played “Shudder” Lynch performed a tremendous solo on his fiddle, again dancing around on his knees.
O’Reilly played “Samson and Dalilah” with so much soul and feeling, that everyone in the entire room felt it and was dancing with to the music. O’Reilly did another guitar solo, and his fingers just slid up and down the guitar with ease.
The show ended with “The Sunshine Song,” a very fast-paced jammin’ tune. There was another guitar solo, and a masterful violin solo. O’Reilly thanked everyone for coming to the show and supporting the live music.
The early show lasted 1 hour and 10 minutes. The late show lasted 1 hour and 30 minutes.
-Marcia Schultz
- Marty O’Reilly & The Old Soul Orchestra
Crystal Bay Casino. Jun 13, 2021 - Early show
Going to the Country
I Heard the Angels
Firmament
The Captain’s Daughter, Part 1
Battlefields
Hard Time Killing Floor
Shine on Me
Cinnamon Tree
Shutter
Letters Champions of the Night - Late show
I Heard the Angels
Shutter
Firmament
Stop Motion
Baby Please Don’t Go
The Captain’s Daughter
Lighthouse Samson and Delilah
Let the Wind In
Cold Canary Gaslight
The Sunshine Song
