On Wednesday night Rockets of Desire and The Blackberry Bushes brought folk, Americana and bluegrass music to the Bluestem stage.

Rockets of Desire opened up the night with a warm welcome from lead singer and guitar player Bryon Dudley. Dudley sang lead and played guitar while his wife, Rachael, provided backup vocals and percussion. Thomas Russell also provided backup vocals and played guitar and banjo.

Their performance was full of variety as well. The first couple of songs were very fast-paced until the third song “Cast a Light” took a more meaningful, slower but deeper tone. 

Halfway through the set, Russell took over as lead singer. Russel sang lead on “Forty Miles Per Hour,” which was said to be a working man’s song, and the sad but beautiful love song “Remember,” a song evoking emotion. The heart-felt tone of his voice and his expressions were sad but embodied the essence of the song.

Rachael sang lead for a cover of “These Boots are Made for Walkin,’” which got the crowd extremely excited. Rockets of Desire made the popular hit sound familiar yet unique at the same time.

Rockets of Desire closed on an upbeat song that shared the same name as the band. Bryon and Russell concluded the evening thanking the audience, while both explained how exciting it was to open for The Blackberry Bushes.

After a 10-minute intermission, The Blackberry Bushes took the stage by greeting the audience with “Howdy Ya’ll!” and right away they performed “Brown Bird.”

“Brown Bird” is the first of many songs from their new album “Three Red Feathers.” Lead singer Jes Raymond talked about the album at the beginning of the show and described it as an album about love. While several songs were about romantic love, some focused on the love for life.

Raymond said the Seattle-based band is traveling throughout the country and is currently on their 10th week of touring. She frequently engaged the audience and introduced the inspirations behind her songs.

After three lyrical songs, an instrumental piece was performed entitled “Gold Rush.” This song highlighted every member of the group by giving a solo to each instrument, especially the fiddle solo near the end of the song.

Before performing the album’s title track,“Three Red Feathers,” Raymond said it was written about how humans tend to get discouraged and how they can work past their disappointments. It was a different message than most of the other songs played that night, but it featured a part of life most people can relate to.

The next song was entitled “Hickory is Dependable.” Raymond told the audience that this song had multiple meanings. Not only does the song tell a story about a friend’s grandfather, who was a wood craftsman, but the title and chorus also related to a man she dated named Hickory Dependable Strongheart. Raymond said she always wanted to use his name in a song because of its uniqueness. 

Fiddle player Jakob Breitbach introduced “Paper Roses” as a song about his marriage to Raymond. They just celebrated their second anniversary, and this song reflects their relationship. 

Right after “Paper Roses” The Blackberry Bushes picked up the tempo with “On the Western Plains,” which they called “their cowboy song.” Bass player Forrest Marowitz sang lead while Raymond sang backup. Marowitz’s voice added a wild style to the song and pumped up the audience, to the point of them loudly cheering, by the end of the song.

Nearing the end of the show “Lady of the Mountain” was played, using a tone similar to that of “Paper Roses,” talking about the beauty of nature and changing seasons.

The night closed with the longest piece “I’ll Wait for You.” It featured lyrics at the beginning and end but had a huge seven-minute instrumental middle. Like the earlier instrumental pieces in the show, all instruments had the opportunity to shine, while another fiddle solo was played, topping the earlier fiddle solo in “Gold Rush.”

At the end of the show The Blackberry Bushes exited the stage with a standing ovation. The overall performance was a truly impressive showcase of folk and string music with high levels of audience interaction.