Bluesman Trent
Black Rabbit Mead Company
Dec. 22, 2023
I just finished reading the bawdy, anti-Western novel The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt. Later turned into a movie starring Joaquin Phoenix and John C. Reilly, the story is about two darkly funny brothers who work as contract killers in the American West at the height of the California Gold Rush.
At Black Rabbit Mead Company in Reno on the Friday before Christmas, I saw Bluesman Trent perform a solo set of mostly originals armed only with his acoustic guitar. It would’ve made a perfectly appropriate soundtrack for that movie. Trent’s weathered, gravelly Nevada voice, his lyrics about family and romance, and his throwback “bluesgrass” sound fit the tall tales and outlaws of the Old West.
As it was Christmas, Trent’s Western sound also matched well with Bruce Willis’ violence in Die Hard, which was playing above the bar.
Trent played a two-hour set with one short break to a maximum audience of about 40 at the bar. Most enjoyed mead and conversation with friends while he strummed and clapped at the end of each song. It was a mostly laid-back vibe with Trent providing background blues. He still brought a ton of energy to the show though and I really enjoyed watching him sing and stomp with his whole body.
Early in the set, he shared my favorite song of the night: “Scarlett Rose.” It opens with a cute rhetorical question: “Where’d you get that smile?” Quieter and calmer than pretty much anything else he played, it felt like a tender love song with the way Trent let each string, each note shine. At the end of the song, he told the audience that it was all about his daughter. The song captures a lot of what made Trent’s set great. It tells a personal, relatable story with homey instrumentation. It makes for easy background listening, but also begs to be listened to with further focus.
“Ghostwater” was much grittier and more cowboy than “Scarlett Rose,” but I loved it just as well. While Trent’s gravelly voice can sometimes be hard to make out, but in this one the main character seems to be running from something, maybe Old West vigilantes like the Sisters Brothers. The song showcased his fantastic energy. At one point, I leaned over to my friend and said that he sure makes a lot of sound for a man simply sitting with his guitar. This song, and much of the set, featured short, quick strumming, stomping, and percussion from Trent hitting his guitar. It felt like we were watching an artist so proud and dedicated to his craft because he was giving this performance his all.
Later in the set, Trent played a song that was much more skittish than anything else he had played. It felt like it was running all about a crowded, cluttered room looking for its simple, driving rhythm that dominates all of his other songs. It was a bit hard to listen to, but I admired the layered sound that Trent produced. I was all the more impressed when he told the bar that he just “made that song up”.
That earnestness and honesty embedded in both his songs and his stage persona encourages connection between himself and the audience. Trent feels authentic. Like someone you’d run into at a Great Basin dive bar. His set at Black Rabbit, especially including his frequent expressions of thanks and enjoyment, made me feel like I was a part of a long tradition of Western storytelling.
While Trent’s sound can occasionally be a bit rough around the edges, his technical picking, frenetic energy, and connection with the audience are all awesome. Catch him the next time he’s in Reno or you happen to be in Twin Falls or Winnemucca and he’s there, too.
What’s next for Trent: He plays The Stage Door in Elko on Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. with Reckless Rooster.
