Wade Ogle releases “Lovers and Fighters” to cheering crowd at Dickson Theater | Jeff’s Band Notes

By Jeff Sistrunk

Wade Ogle and his band celebrated the release of “Lovers and Fighters” Thursday with a concise, endearing 60-minute set before a crowd of about 100 people at the Dickson Street Music Theatre.

Dressed in distinctly southwestern garb that called to mind the old-school rockabilly scene, Ogle directed his group like a seasoned professional, mixing old and new material.

His steely baritone has drawn comparisons to legendary heavyweights like Leonard Cohen, and for good reason. Ogle’s voice was near pitch-perfect and molded itself to the feel of each individual song, whether it was a slow, pensive ballad or rollicking folk rocker.

Bandmates Tyler Bame on bass and James Cohea on drums provided a rock-solid foundation for Ogle’s emotive guitar licks and free-flowing lyrics. Ever the gentleman onstage, Ogle even re-started a song after a few measures when he felt it wasn’t clicking.

“You guys deserve the best performance I can give,” Ogle said. “Let’s try that again.”

With a career spanning over two decades, Wade Ogle is one of the longest-tenured artists from Northwest Arkansas who is still actively writing and touring.

From the Faith Healers to Dali Automatic to Honey Died to the Delta Spacemen, Ogle has maintained a consistent presence on the local scene and is considered by many to be one of the region’s most talented and respected musicians.

Ogle returned after a seven-year hiatus with the album “Songs from Winter” in summer 2008.

Following the regional success of that disc and a subsequent tour, he quickly began work on the follow-up, “Lovers and Fighters,” and assembled a new band, the Sea Shall Free Them.

At the conclusion of the main set, the crowd beckoned Ogle and the band back up onstage for an electrifying encore, setting off a spontaneous flurry of quirky dancing. Everyone in attendance responded with spirited applause.

“Wade’s a great songwriter and a great performer,” said Todd Bohannan of Bentonville. “My favorite part of the show is when he played ‘Where Is My Love’ off the new album.”

A member of the Arkansas Backwoods Betties who identified herself by her roller derby name, Bloody Bathory, said she thought Ogle’s set was “wonderful” and “really enjoyed dancing.”

Megan Chapman of Fayetteville praised Ogle’s stage presence and delivery.

“I thought it was very high energy,” Chapman said. “I’ve known Wade for over 20 years, and seen him in every band he’s ever been in. This was Wade Ogle at his best.”

Ogle said he was pleased with his performance and the reaction of the crowd.

“Any nervousness I had quietly morphed into confidence,” Ogle said. “You hope for everybody to be on the same wavelength, and it definitely felt like that tonight.”

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