Category Archives: concert reviews
Preservation Hall Jazz Band Going Very Strong After 51+ Years
Wow, Preservation Hall Jazz Band gave us an incredible show at The Sinclair on Tuesday night! This show, presented by Grain Audio, was the fourth time I’ve seen the band in the past two years and it was quite possibly the best I’ve seen them.
Charlie Gabriel
Yes, I saw the band’s 50th anniversary show in January 2012 at Carnegie Hall in New York from sixth row center and it was amazing, but there was something about the energy in Tuesday night’s audience that made the band soar even higher than they normally do.
Ben Jaffe – more cowbell, please
Joe Ely Crosses Genres
Joe Ely is another artist whose music I know but not well; I had wanted to see him, either solo or with The Flatlanders, for a while but always had conflicts. I was thrilled when some local solo acoustic shows were announced AND I could get to one of them!
Joe Ely
I’d been told Joe ‘never disappoints.’ Not only did he not disappoint Sunday night at Bull Run, but he surpassed any expectations I had. Read the rest of this entry
Get Into a New Orleans Groove with The New Orleans Suspects
What a night of great music by The New Orleans Suspects at Johnny D’s on Thursday night!
This is the closest I could get to a shot of the full band…
The name of the band may not be familiar to you yet, but their pedigrees should be. Read the rest of this entry
It’s Always the ‘Year of the Cat’ for Al Stewart!
As it is in my house (with four long-haired cats), but Wednesday night it was all Al Stewart‘s ‘Year of the Cat’ at Club Passim. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision to see this show, and we were lucky to get tickets for his second sold-out performance.
Al Stewart
If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m extremely open-minded about hearing live music – if I trust someone’s opinion, I’ll go hear the band. The previous night, my friend suggested we go. I knew Al’s biggest hits – ‘Year of the Cat’, “Time Passages’, ‘On the Border’ and ‘Song on the Radio’ – but not much of his deep catalog, so I was looking forward to the show. Read the rest of this entry
Hey Hey, He Was a Monkee…
Michael Nesmith is so much more than that, however. And that’s a good thing!
Michael Nesmith
I don’t know what I expected from the concert at Bull Run on Sunday night, which sold out quite quickly when it was announced a few months ago. I hoped he would perform songs mostly from his solo career, not from his days with The Monkees. That’s exactly what he did. He started the show by telling us they would perform only songs he’s written. Read the rest of this entry
Interesting Funky Music
Last night’s musical entertainment was a young band called Moxa at Church of Boston; my friend works with the drummer. He has been promising his colleague that we’d attend a show and we finally made that happen.
Moxa is basically a jam band that incorporates funk, jazz, soul, and rock, to name a few styles.
Another Incredible Triple-Header, World Blues This Time!
I was very excited about this show at the Mahaiwe Theatre – to be able to see American Blues master Taj Mahal on the same bill as Vusi Mahlasela, the Woody Guthrie of South Africa, was indeed a special occasion. I’ve seen each of them a few times and knew what to expect.
Taj Mahal at the Outside the Box Festival July 2013
Vusi Mahlasela at Regattabar in February 2011
Zappa Does Indeed Play Zappa
I have to admit I’m not terribly familiar with Frank or Dweezil Zappa’s music. I know the biggest hits Frank had, as most people of my age do, but not the more obscure songs. I relished the opportunity to get to know the music better.
Zappa Plays Zappa
This is Zappa Plays Zappa‘s Roxy Music & Elsewhere 40th Anniversary Tour. Read the rest of this entry
Outstanding Americana Triple-Header!
This is one show for which I had high expectations – I’d seen two of the three bands and adored the shows I saw. This sold-out show at The Sinclair surpassed my expectations!
all of the bands plus a few added friends, Jay Sweet among them
The headliner of the show was Spirit Family Reunion. The first opener was The Deslondes and the second was Hurray for the Riff Raff. Any one of the three bands on the bill could have headlined and the audience would have been thrilled. Read the rest of this entry
Feats Didn’t Fail Me Now!
What a fantastic show! This show was an intimate performance by Bill Payne, keyboardist with Little Feat, and Gabe Ford, drummer with Little Feat, at one of my favorite venues, Johnny D’s.
Bill Payne and Gabe Ford
I had no idea what to expect – drums and keyboards are a less-than-typical duo. Sometimes (okay, most of the time) it’s good to have few expectations because you won’t be disappointed. There was nothing disappointing to this writer. Read the rest of this entry
suze reviews the blues 