Melissa Carper’s portable Americana finds a home at NON-COMM

Melissa Carper plays the type of music, a blend of old-timey roots, country, and blues, that practically begs to be played as the sunset peaks through a late afternoon rain shower. Thankfully, that was precisely the scene as Carper took the stage to open night three of the 2023 NON-COMMvention, where she played a set of songs coming off her late 2022 record Ramblin’ Soul. 

It’s here I must mention the arrangement, which saw Carper on an upright bass alongside her guitar accompaniment. It’s rare you get a chance to see someone play the upright bass at all, much less as they lead vocal duties, and I must say it was quite impressive to watch Carper slap out notes on the hulking, beautiful instrument, one that you can imagine traveling all over the country with Carper and her band. As for the songs themselves, Carper clearly has a mastery over that old-timey sound, songs so natural they seem to tumble across the wide-open country on their own accord. Carper ended the set with two standout tracks, songs that perfectly encapsulate what she is all about; “My Old Chevy Van,” a heartfelt, romantic ode to her longtime mode of transportation and, “Boxers On Backwards,” a country ditty memorializing the nights you you’re not getting lucky under any circumstance. The latter even comes with its own line dance which you are encouraged to check out – and learn – immediately.

Carper clearly takes pride in her wandering ways, as evidenced by her record title, and we can all count ourselves lucky she rambled her way up to Philadelphia for NON-COMMvention 2023.