Then Promised Land Sound started to play. The band immediately let loose a torrent of wah-wah–heavy, psychedelic country garage rock. There were tastes of the Band, the Byrds, and the Allman Brothers in there, but it was clearly its own thing, a pure Nashville sound. Halfway through that first song I took my eyes off the drummer and noticed heads bobbing, feet tapping, and smiles breaking out all around the bar. All the smartphones had disappeared into bags and pockets, chased away by the sheer energy of the band’s music. It commanded your attention so fully, so mercilessly, that you either
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