Fresh off a string of festival appearances and a relentless touring schedule, Southern Avenue rolled into the iconic Bearsville Theater on July 18 with no signs of slowing down.
One of the hardest working bands on the modern blues circuit, the Memphis-based group showed up with heart, grit, and a sound that hit just as hard in an intimate club as it would on a festival main stage.
This wasn’t their first recent visit to upstate New York, the group had played Albany’s Lark Hall not long ago. Their return to the region only cemented their growing reputation as a must-see live act. Bearsville’s hallowed stage has hosted legends and rising stars alike, and Southern Avenue fit right in with a performance that blended raw soul power with familial chemistry.
At the core of the band is a remarkable trio of sisters — Tierinii Jackson (vocals), Tikyra Jackson (drums), and Ava Jackson (violin and backing vocals), who bring both talent and unmistakable synergy to the stage. Their family dynamic isn’t just a backstory, it’s the engine.
Tierinii commands attention with the presence of a superstar and the voice of a preacher on fire. Whether belting out bluesy anthems or simply interacting with the crowd between songs, she owns every square inch of the room.
Behind the kit, Tikyra is nothing short of a revelation. It’s rare to see a drummer so completely locked in, smiling through every breakdown and groove like she’s having the time of her life, but don’t mistake her joy for lightness. She’s the heartbeat of the band, and she hits with both precision and soul.
Ava’s violin weaves in with just enough grace and grit to elevate their sound into something unique in the blues-rock world. Her harmonies and playing give Southern Avenue an edge that sets them apart from other acts in the genre.
Despite a smaller crowd than you might find at one of their festival sets, Southern Avenue brought full-force energy from start to finish. There was no opener. No warm-up, just Southern Avenue taking the stage and making it theirs house. That’s the thing, they don’t need a warm-up act. They are a main event, start to finish.
Southern Avenue left a mark. What they delivered at Bearsville wasn’t just a performance, it was proof that passion, sweat, and soul can still shake a room to its core. They played like the place was packed to the rafters, like every note mattered, because to them and their audience it does. 
This is a band built on family, fueled by fire, and destined to keep climbing. Whether it’s a festival stage or a storied theater in the Catskills, Southern Avenue shows up and shows out. Every single time.
