Adia Victoria and her co-performer, Mason Hickman, immersed their audience during her set at the Creekside Stage of the 2022 Nelsonville Music Festival. The two brought a captivating energy to the stage that kept children sitting quietly in the rain to watch Victoria perform.
Most of their set was from Victoria’s most recent album release, “A Southern Gothic” (Atlantic Records), starting with “Magnolia Blues.” Before they performed, she shared that she wrote this song during the pandemic because she would look out of her back window every night and see the magnolia tree in her backyard in South Carolina.
As Victoria played through her set, her songs continued to display southern themes. In her next song, “Mean-Hearted Woman, ” Victoria voiced the perspective of the “cruel woman” trope prevalent in southern blues. Next, Victoria performed “Stuck In The South”, from “Beyond the Bloodhound” (Canvasback/ATL), followed by “Carolina Bound.”
Throughout their performance, Victoria and Hickman played seamlessly as one entity. Victoria only switched her guitar one time for “My Oh My”, but Hickman frequently used both of his guitars. For the last song they performed, “South For The Winter,” Adia Victoria only performed vocals while Mason Hickman played his guitar. - Lily Manoukian
SET LIST
1. “Magnolia Blues” – 4:07
2. “Mean-Hearted Woman” – 7:47
3. “Stuck In The South” – 12:36
4. “Carolina Bound” – 16:00
5. “My Oh My” – 19:53
6. “South For The Winter” – 25:04
The Sycamore Sessions are presented by the Nelsonville Music Festival in collaboration with WOUB Public Media and the Ohio University Scripps College of Communication’s School of Media Arts and Studies. The performances were recorded and produced by Media Arts and Studies students under the supervision of Host and Director Josh Antonuccio and Associate Producers – Director of Photography Andie Walla (Media Arts and Studies Associate Professor of Instruction), Audio Supervisor Adam Rich (WOUB), and WOUB’s Arts and Culture Editor Emily Votaw. All performances took place during the 2022 Nelsonville Music Festival, which is a production of Stuart's Opera House.
