Blog Archives
An Evening of Folky-Rootsy Love Songs
For my review of this fine performance at Club Passim by Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem, click here.
Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem
Rani Arbo
Scott Kessel
Andrew Kinsey
Anand Nayak
Rani Arbo
Scott Kessel
Andrew Kinsey
Anand Nayak
Scott Kissel
Andrew Kinsey
Anand Nayak
Rani Arbo and Anand Nayak
Scott Kessell
Andrew Kinsey
Anand Nayak
Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem
Rani Arbo
Anand Nayak
Scott Kessel and his repurposed percussion instruments
Rani Arbo
Scott Kessel
Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem
Anand Nayak and Rani Arbo
Up-And-Coming Retro Majestic Indie Rock Act Delivers A Solid Performance
I may be a bit biased when it comes to Laney Jones and the Spirits because they are friends, but I watched the reaction of the audience at the Extended Play Sessions where they performed on Friday night and saw that everyone in the room was as enthralled with this band as I am. Phew!
Laney Jones
You may wonder what ‘retro majestic indie rock’ (Laney’s self-description) is; my answer to that is that you should listen to the band’s new music which is not yet out on an album. Here’s a video of one of the songs performed at this Session.
This Riff Raff Is Everything But!
Everything but riffraff, that is… Hurray for the Riff Raff has been one of my favorite bands since the first time I saw them at the Newport Folk Festival two years ago. The band returned to Boston to perform at the Paradise Rock Club in what might have been their first headlining show at a major venue in the area.
Hurray for the Riff Raff (4/5)
Hurray for the Riff Raff (3/5)
This show might possibly be the best show of theirs I have seen to date; the energy in the room was tremendous and the band fed off that (although it was truly symbiotic – they fed off us and we fed off their energy and joy).
Hitch Your Ride To These Rising Stars
If you have been reading this website for a while, you might recall that a year ago I fell in love with the hip-hop bluegrass group Gangstagrass. Our love affair continued over the weekend at Johnny D’s where they appeared in support of their latest release, American Music.
Gangstagrass
Nobody was more surprised than the band when the album debuted at #5 on the Billboard bluegrass chart! They deserve to be known for more than the theme song for the television show Justified, and maybe now they will be!
Rench
Rhiannon Giddens’ Powerful Voice Must Be Experienced
Rhiannon Giddens embarked on her first solo tour several months ago. She achieved much success as a co-founder of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, but her reputation exploded through a couple of projects in which she participated over the last two years: the Another Day, Another Time concert, a celebration of the music that inspired the film Inside Llewyn Davis, and The New Basement Tapes, a collaboration that set newly found Bob Dylan lyrics to music.
Rhiannon Giddens
Rhiannon mentioned that this show at the Somerville Theatre was originally billed as a Carolina Chocolate Drops show; I would have seen the show either way, but I am glad it was her show.
Jamie Dick, Malcolm Partson, Jason Sypher, Rhiannon Giddens, Hubby Jenkins, Rowan Corbett
Entertaining Singer-Songwriter Evening
A New York friend strongly suggested I see Willy Porter perform, going so far as checking on his local dates for me. Accommodating person that I am, since I had a hole in my schedule I decided to see him at Tupelo Music Hall, one of my favorite venues because the audiences are usually extremely respectful of the music.
Willy Porter
I am glad I did. Willy is an entertaining performer, an excellent guitarist, and someone who obviously loves what he does.
Indie Folk Is Alive And Well
I first saw Gregory Alan Isakov perform at the Newport Folk Festival last summer, and a friend and I have been anxiously awaiting his return to Boston so we could see him in a headlining show. Our patience was rewarded this week at the second of two sold-out shows at The Sinclair!
Gregory Alan Isakov
Sometimes when an artist wows me at a festival I am slightly disappointed when I see them in a headlining show; this could not be further from the truth with Greg! What a fabulous show (and one of the most respectful audiences I have ever witnessed at a standing venue)!
Part of the stage tableau
Fabulous Jazz Jam At Regattabar
I love jazz generally and knew that Vijay Iyer has a devoted following, so I did not hesitate to see one of his four Regattabar shows last weekend even though I was only slightly familiar with his music. Saying that I was in awe of the performance is an understatement – he and the rest of his trio are incredible!
Vijay Iyer
The show I attended was the last of the four; if they were tired, it did not seep into their performance which appeared flawless!
Acoustic Grunge? Yes, Please!
One of the regulars at The Extended Play Sessions suggested that the Baltimore-based band ilyAIMY (pronounced ee-lee-amy, it is an acronym for “I love you and I miss you”) would be a good addition to the roster of acts who have played at a Session, and he was right!
ilyAIMY
One of the most unusual acts to grace the stage, they are an enchanting trio (at full-band shows they add two more musicians) who engaged us quickly and easily.
Fabulous Energy At This Jazz CD Release Show
I realized I was part of what promised to be a special evening when I noticed that I was amidst many jazz luminaries (musicians, Berklee professors, radio personalities), all in attendance for Afro-Cuban tenor saxophonist Carlos Averhoff Jr.‘s album release celebration at Scullers. What a celebration it was! There was much joy in the room that night, from the stage as well as from the audience.
Carlos Averhoff Jr.
Born in Cuba, Carlos graduated from Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music and thankfully continues to grace the Boston area with his talent.
suze reviews the blues 