Blog Archives

Heather Maloney Has A Bright Future

Each time I listen to indie folk artist Heather Maloney’s new album, Making Me Break, I decide on a new favorite song. As I write this, I believe the title song is my favorite but I know that will change.

'Making Me Break' by Heather Maloney

‘Making Me Break’ by Heather Maloney

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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

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)!

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Part of the stage tableau

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Incredible Roots Rock Blues Show By The Alvin Brothers

After seeing Dave Alvin and Phil Alvin and The Guilty Ones perform at a festival last summer, I knew I had to see their headlining show at The Sinclair. Dave and Phil recently returned to performing and recording together; the joy they feel while sharing a stage is obvious and the audience could feel it too.

Dave Alvin

Dave Alvin

Phil Alvin

Phil Alvin

Last year, they released the Grammy-nominated Common Ground, a tribute to legendary bluesman Big Bill Broonzy, and performed many songs from that album. Read the rest of this entry

Folk The Cold Was a Winter Warmer!

What a great idea for what turned out to be a not-so-cold winter night – a three-act Americana show called ‘Folk the Cold’! The Sinclair was the proud host of this show with The Ballroom Thieves, Tall Heights and Darlingside.

Encore with Ballroom Thieves, Tall Heights, and Darlingside

Encore with Ballroom Thieves, Tall Heights, and Darlingside

The Ballroom Thieves were billed as the headliner, but each band seemed to perform similar length sets. It was a great, lengthy show.

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The Sacred Shakers Shook The Sinclair

Several people told me that I needed to see The Sacred Shakers perform because they thought I would enjoy the band’s country-gospel sound. I decided to catch their show at The Sinclair last week, and am so glad I did!

The Sacred Shakers (except Daniel)

The Sacred Shakers (except Daniel Kellar)

I appreciate gospel music not for the religious nature of the songs cut for the quality of the musicians and the music.  The Sacred Shakers delivered great music and musicianship!

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Expect The Sacred Shakers To Warm Your Soul

I am excited to be seeing The Sacred Shakers at The Sinclair on Wednesday, December 3, 2014.

Sacred Shakers (Official Photo)

Sacred Shakers (Official Photo)

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What a Crazy and Wonderful Duo (de Twang)!

This was another show where I had no idea what to expect, but when my friend asked if I was interested and I listened to some videos, my response was, “Hell, yes!”

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The show on Saturday at The Sinclair was Les Claypool’s Duo de Twang; Les is the bassist for Primus, a band with which I am clearly not familiar as I thought they are strictly a metal band. The photos are not up to my personal standard because of the lack of lighting and my perspective of the stage, so I’m only posting a few.

Les Claypool and Bryan Kehoe

Les Claypool and Bryan Kehoe

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There’s No Grumbling About These Gramblers!

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Walking into The Sinclair last night, I had bit of an inkling of what to expect from Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers because I’d seen the recording of their set at the Newport Folk Festival. That video, however, did not truly prepare me for the energy and quality of the show.

Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers

Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers

From the moment the band took the stage, I was enthralled. Maybe rapt is a better word.

Nicki

Nicki

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A Bluegrass Ball??? Who Knew?

The show was billed as The (First Annual) Deadly Gentlemen’s Ball. This show, held at The Sinclair in Cambridge, was hosted by, you guessed it, The Deadly Gentlemen.

The Deadly Gentlemen

The Deadly Gentlemen

I knew this was going to be an evening of bluegrass, but I had no idea how much fun it would be! Read the rest of this entry

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

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

Ben Jaffe – more cowbell, please

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