For the second show on my Washington DC trip, I stopped by DC9 to catch Eliza Edens’ who’s album I had already in my music library. She was opening for Alisa Amador who I also really enjoyed (and added to my music library).
Eliza was every bit as charming and enjoyable as I had hoped. I look forward to seeing both of these artists again!
Another work trip to Washington DC, and another chance to catch some concerts down there. My first night I saw Abby Sage at the Sonbyrd Music House. She has a cool, sharp edge to her pop sound and songwriting, which I enjoyed.
I was really hoping to also get to see ave.noelle on the bill, but seemed to have missed her performance. I also really enjoyed catching Ruqqiyah’s soulful opening performance.
Illiterate Light is an intriguing band, performing recently at the Beachland Tavern. Apple Music says it pretty well, draing “from a wide array of styles, from raw, guitar-driven indie rock and kaleidoscopic neo-psychedelia to synth-kissed, harmony-laden folk." They definitely put on a show and I appreciate their drive!
Opening was Virgina based trio Palmyra. They were decent
I’ve been waiting for just the right show to finally see the Goodyear Theater in Akron, and Gillian Welch & David Rawlings was it! I knew it had been awhile since the last time I saw them, 2011 to be exact, which really got me even more excited for this one. Both the quality of the performance - and the still stringent restriction on photos and video - hence the minimal media. Still, this is some top quality performance and musicianship.
"It had been too long since Welch and Rawlings set foot in Northeast Ohio (if setlist.fm can be believed, the last time the pair played in the area was at the Kent Stage in 2011), and the singer/songwriters made up for it by treating the capacity crowd to two hours of tunes spanning the myriad projects they collaborated on over the past three decades.
While their brand of folk and bluegrass-indebted music is deceptively restrained and mild-mannered, the show was engaging from the moment the pair launched into ‘Orphan Girl,’ their voices and guitars (and occasional banjo) melding together as if part of a single organism."
I’ve seen Tall Heights plenty of times. Part of the motivation tonight was the opener, DUG, and also getting to ride my bike to the venue (taking the train back home). Tall Heights always have some good stories and some good camaraderie. They also reminded the crowd how lucky we are to have a space like Mahalls in our city. I didn’t stay for the whole show - had to get back on my bike to catch the train home.
DUG only has two songs on Apple Music. Those, along with some live videos on their website, were enough to have me psyched to see these guys. And speaking of camaraderie, they have it as well - despite only being a band for 1 year. As they both noted, they’re in their 30s and know what their doing. They even took a moment to announce that all all people named Doug will be granted free access to their shows - and that they haven’t been overwhlemed - yet. :-P Hope to see these guys headlining soon.
Having not seen The Mynabirds in concert since 2012, I was thrilled to see they were doing a house concert tour - with a stop in Shaker Heights! What a great space and a great show. The intimacy of it all makes taking photos and video a little uncomfortable, hence the poor quality. But the show was anything but.
Knowing I was seeing Empress of the previous night, I was looking for a show for my second night in DC. I discovered Aflie Templeman who seemed like he might be a lot of fun. However, after my 2nd full day of traveling and biking all over Washington DC, I was pretty tired by the time I made it to The Atlantis. I hope Alfie didn’t mind, I didn’t stay for the whole show.
Your Neighbors opened the night.
Empress of has been one of my FAVORITE pop stars lately, and her latest album has just been playing non-stop for me.
About five years ago was the last time I saw Nilüfer Yanya performing at the Grog Shop and she’s still amazing. I’m enjoying her new album and she continues to get better.
I stepped out during Angélica Garcia’s performance in the middle, but enjoyed Lutalo’s opening performance.
I was pretty excited when I found out that Bright Eyes would be performing at the Beachland Ballroom in a “secret show”, under the name of Ojos Brillantes. The last time I saw them was back in 2005 when they performed with The Faint at the Agora. Back then I saw them with my friend Sarah and she re-joined me for this show! While that was really enjoyable, the show was not. Conor was clearly intoxicated and we didn’t end up staying for the whole show. Turns out, he canceled the rest of their tour after this performance.
The opener Nina Divona was new to me, and seemed on brand for this Bright Eyes show.
Vampire Weekend was another LiveNation $25 discount show, and another band I hadn’t seen before. They were delightful and it was yet another gorgeous night hanging out with friends on the lawn at Blossom Music Center.
I've been able to see Joan Osborne several times over the years (2000, 2018), but was really excited to bring my friend Tim along with me to this show at Kent Stage in Kent, Ohio. She’s had such a venerable career and is a consummate performer. One of my favs.
I was able to score LiveNation $25 ticket detal for this show. It’s hard to not like this UK pop band! It was a gorgeous night out with friends, and I’d say my only complaint was Kevin Abstract’s opening performance. He shared equal billing in my mind going in - but his uneasy performance wasn’t worth capturing.
Iron & Wine is one of those artists that I’ve casually been collecting their music through the years, but have never saw in concert. It was a treat to get to see him at the Agora, and I thoroughly enjoyed the very unique visual performance that accompanied the music.
I was able to see Sunny War at Nelsonville Music Festival, but was really excited to see them in this space.
Another year, another Honcho Campout at Four Quarters Interfaith Sanctuary in Artemas, PA.
If you know you know.
Having been away in Los Angeles for most of July, I thought I had missed my chance to see the Cleveland Museum of Art’s City Stages performances in Ohio City. Thankfully there was one remaining, after I returned. It was a gorgeous night, and an amazing story to hear about Bia Ferreira’s travel challenges. Apparently her band wasn’t able to arrive in time, so the organizers assembled a group of local musicians to quickly learn and fill in. It made for a unique and rewarding night.
I was thrilled to also see that Amtrac would be performing at Sound Nightclub in Los Angeles during my stay in Los Angeles. I’ve been to this venue before, which is a great space to dance.
In what felt like an ideal Los Angeles experience, I was able to see Juan Wauters performing at El Cid. The venue is apparently both a restaurant and performance space. Quite cute. Juan Wauters was a bundle of energy on stage and was one of the most unique performers I’ve seen live. Thoroughly enjoyed his performance.
Tall Juan opened the show. I’m bummed I didn’t catch any video.
I was awarded a Fellowship out at UCLA for most of July and of course hit a couple concerts while I was out there. Seeing Strand of Oaks playing at Zebulon was a welcomed sight. After the odessy of LA buses to get out to the venue, I was hoping for a bit more of a show. He causally walked up, played some (always great) songs, and then ended relatively early. Probably because they seemed to quickly transition the venu over to a dance party. Great venue btw!
I was fortunate enough to be offered a free ticket and backstage pass for this Brothers Osborne show. As you might imagine, they hadn’t really caught my attention until after T.J. Osborne came out as gay. While there was some push back, I’m happy to see that Brothers Osborne continue to succeed in the country music space. They put on a high energy show and T.J. knows how to play to his crowd. :-) A fun time indeed.
It’s going to be hard to beat seeing Mdou Moctar anywhere as good as their 2019 performance at Now That’s Class (now No Class). This night they sold out the Beachland Ballroom and they matched the heat outside. Another blistering performance.
Always happy to see Joe Pug perform, despite being a week night at Akron’s Musica. Bonus points for being on Juneteenth and having the rest of the week off! He’s always the consummate performer on stage.
The real bonus of the night was getting familiar with Dustin Mayle!
