COLTONS POINT, Md. – Reconnect with your inner child or feed your music-loving soul with an intimate experience to remember at The Potomac Gardens, located at 20254 Colton Point Rd, Coltons Point, MD, on Saturday, June 29 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thomas Gabriel, Johnny Cash’s grandson, will be headlining the event with Pathless, Meg Phillips, and The Chesapeake Sons as opening acts.
Gabriel will be performing songs from his first album “Long Way Home” and some songs by his grandfather. He recognizes the personal connection people share with his voice and his grandfathers so he embraces the similarities in their voices, he said.
Gabriel also likes to personalize concert experiences by sharing different stories with the audience.
As a child, Gabriel always connected with live performances as he watched his grandfather because the loving energy from fans would instantly brighten him up. He recalled some performances where Cash would feel ill but continued to push through.
“I’ve seen him walk out sick as a dog on stage and throughout the song look like he’s healing you know what I mean? It was like this really cool energy exchange,” Gabriel said.
Gabriel now finds himself losing track of time on stage as he immerses himself in his performance, connecting to the audience like his grandfather.
He feels his excitement matches the crowd’s and creates this “collective consciousness” that makes everyone feel more alive as they share such an intimate moment. Gabriel describes this energy exchange as something that recharges him.
Gabriel then reflected on his first album “On My Way Home,” where most songs were written while he was incarcerated for 10 years. During that time he was in a healing space, closing a chapter behind him.
He describes his new and upcoming album as “the beginning and the now.”
The album will feature the first song Gabriel created and played for his grandfather at 20 years old. It will also include a song his grandfather started before he passed away. The song was initially continued by Chris Cornell who also passed away before Gabriel got the song and completed it.
Gabriel just finished the album but hopes it will be released within the year.
This intimate concert experience will likely be one of the last more intimate shows with a full band, he said.
“You got a lot of concerts that are full bands and a bigger place and it’s so loud. You really can’t even distinguish what’s being said or anything else,” Gabriel said.
What makes this event unique and more than an acoustic show is the ability to effectively share a message in a smaller setting, he said. With a full band, all parts of a song are covered.
“You can actually translate the message and the feeling of the song a whole lot better,” Gabriel said.
Gabriel believes the event will be an immersive experience for both him and the audience as they really feel the music on a deeper level. He hopes everyone walks away “even better” than before.
The Chesapeake Sons are also excited for the opportunity to connect with fans and see live reactions to their music, according to the lead singer Jason Morton. It is one of the band’s favorite parts of music.
Once the band is done playing they love to greet people and hang out at the merch booths to shake hands, take pictures and even sign things, Morton said.
The Chesapeake Sons hope to break into a new market while performing at a different city in Southern Maryland, according to Morton. The band hopes to build a relationship with people in the area and that attendees have a good time and enjoy the music.
“People go through rough times, they work really hard and they go to concerts to kind of alleviate that stress and just let go and have a good time and not have to think about the stress of everything,” Morton said.
If there’s one second or minute where an individual forgets about their struggles because of how immersed in the show they are then that’s an achievement for the band, according to Morton.
“We hope that they all feel connected to us as the artist and we just hope that they leave saying ‘Hey, not only were they great musicians and put on a great show, they were also really nice guys and I can’t wait to hang out with them again,’” Morton said.
Angie Wathen, the owner of The Potomac Gardens, hopes attendees experience happiness as they get the chance to interact with the artists at a fitting venue for music lovers.
“I want the artist to walk away thinking this was amazing and I want the people that are there thinking this is amazing,” Wathen said.
The event will have up to 200 guests to create the ultimate intimate experience with artists, according to Wathen.
Tickets are on sale now on The Potomac Gardens website ranging from $90 for general admission to $125 for a VIP experience.
VIP tickets include early entry at 3:30 p.m., a meet & greet with the musicians, and a Potomac Garden t-shirt. Regular entry is at 4:30 p.m. and music will start at 5:30 p.m.
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