‘I’ve got my own way of walkin’, I’ve got my own way of talkin',’ sings Kelsey Waldon, the words taken from My Kin, the third last song from her show at Upstairs Whelan’s this evening. Waldon has also got her own way of singing with a glorious Kentucky-accented drawl. That song also speaks unapologetically of her proud Kentucky roots, where she grew up in the small town of Monkey’s Elbow, before heading to Nashville. After dividing her time between waitressing, songwriting,performing and independently releasing three albums over a period of eight years, she was signed to John Prine’s OH BOY record label in 2019, the first artist to be signed to that label in eighteen years.
Waldon played this same venue solo in February 2020, her first trip outside the United States, and shortly before COVID struck. If that show was sparsely attended, she plays to a packed room this evening. Joined by her crack five-piece band, The Muleskinners, a kickass honky tonk ninety-minute set follows. It’s the band’s first gig of 2026, but there is no sign of rustiness, unsurprisingly, as she recorded her new album, EVERY GHOST, with the same players apart from new recruit, drummer, Michael McLaughlin. The other band members are Junior Tutwiler on guitar, Erik Mendez on bass, Kelsey’s fellow Kentuckian and ace fiddler player Blakeley Burger, and her pedal steel player and fishing buddy Cooper Dickerson. As is common with many touring artists from America, Weldon initially appears taken aback by the audience’s silence between songs, until she realises it’s respectful rather than any lack of interest.
EVERY GHOST, as Waldon explains, is a personal ‘look in the mirror’ collection of songs, all of which are performed this evening, as well as a selection from her back catalogue. She opens with the bluesy autobiographical Ghost Of Myself (‘I had to get tough so I could get wise, I’ve been a thousand women in my own time’), complete with a ripping pedal steel break. Her frankness is also at the heart of Lost In My Idlin’, where she recalls her drinking days, now a thing of the past (‘Happy new year, I’m scared to death, my ol’ demons, they give me no rest… Wishin’ I was fucked up in some honky tonk, where they let me play my music way up loud’). Written in the third person, Falling Down, one of many highlights this evening, also broaches addiction and its spiralling consequences.
Reared mostly by her grandmother, Tiger Lillies is a gorgeous tribute from Waldon to a woman whose resilience influenced her granddaughter. Family matters and the strength of character gifted by her grandmother also feature in Kentucky 1988. The latter, taken from her 2019 WHITE NOISE / WHITE LINES album, recalls difficult times in a sometimes-dysfunctional family environment.
The quality of the playing often cloaks the darkness of some of the song’s tales, and the spark between all band members is infectious. Burger’s whirling fiddle breaks play out like a ‘call and response’ to Dickerson’s pedal steel, and the guitar and bass playing by Tutwiler and Mendez is wonderful, as is the drumming of newcomer, McLaughlin. Recalling her exposure to and love of the bluegrass music that surrounded her as a child, Waldon encourages a ripping, extended fiddle intro of Ricky Scaggs’ Uncle Pen by Burger, leading into Sweet Little Girl. More light-hearted songs performed include Comanche, in which Waldon remembers her trusty and beloved 1988 Jeep, and in a similar vein, Let It Lies, a ‘warts and all’ commentary of the joys and otherwise of a touring band.
She closes the set with two raucous songs, All By Myself and Ramblin’ Woman. Both of which accurately reflect an artist who has worked doggedly to build her career without ever deviating from ‘real’ country music, despite industry trends. Tonight’s show totally validates that progress. It’s not often these days that we get the opportunity to witness country artists with a full band in full fling and in smaller venues.
Appropriately, the opening slot is performed by one of the most traditional country artists in Europe and the ‘go to’ name for many visiting American acts, Ags Connolly. Introducing himself as hailing from ‘Oxfordshire, the home of country music,’ his booming baritone vocal, relaxed stage presence, and nuanced songs are the perfect warm-up act. Included in his set are I Hope You’re Unhappy Now, Nothin’ Unexpected, How About Now and the title song from his 2023 album, Siempre. The late Texan country singer James Hand was hugely influential in Connolly’s chosen career, resulting in his 2024 tribute album YOUR PAL SLIM: SONGS OF JAMES HAND, and I Saw James Hand, written by Connolly in 2014, also features in his thirty-minute set.
An experience to cherish, with many in the audience singing along to Waldon’s lyrics, the appreciation for genuine country music continues to grow in Dublin. Although a bigger venue may be the order of the day for Kelsey Waldon and The Muleskinners' next visit to Dublin.
Review and Photography by Declan Culliton