Another year, another great Nelsonville Music Festival - with great friends and memorable experiences. Here are a few...
This year’s highlights:
MJ Lenderman
Waxahatchee
Candy Rain DJ Collective
Gardner
Two Runner
Esther Rose
Watchhouse
Bonnie “Prince” Billy
Charley Crockett
Black Lips
Ocie Elliott
This was a last minute show with some friends offering up a free ticket. If I were going to see Mumford & Sons live, Blossom is the place I’d like to see them. The weather was looming this day and I was able to see a few good songs, but the weather was telling me I should bug out early. Glad I did - because it became a SPECTACLE. The drive out of the valley was a became treacherous quickly. We were weather warnings and was notified that the show was on hold. I’m so glad I left when I did!
Opening I got to see Good Neighbours, who were quite charming fellas.
When I saw this High Water Festival lineup, I immediately started dreaming up a road trip to get me there - and accomplished it! After a brief camping and hiking stop in North Carolina, I made it to Charleston, SC for this High Water Music Festival! I couldn’t have asked for better experience, and Charleston was charming!
A few quick standouts… I”m SO GLAD to have been introduced to Evan Honer. I was lucky to catch the Julien Baker & TORRES perform before they canceled their tour. Waxahatchee cementer her status as a FAVORITE. Counting Crows were meh. Arcade Fire was every bit as dramatic as I was hoping they’d be!
Here’s the list of bands I saw, most of them appear in the above video.
Evan Honer
Medium Build
Joy Oladokun
Julien Baker & TORRES
Mt. Joy
The Backstreet Lovers
Goldie Boutilier
Ethan Tasch
Wild Rivers
Trampled By Turtles
Waxahatchee
Counting Crows
Flipturn
Arcade Fire
It’s been a long time since I’ve been to Ann Arbor, and probably even longer since I’ve seen a show at The Ark. I’ve always appreciated their business model, and I was even more excited to see Martha Wainwright was doing a 20th anniversary tour of her self-titled release! I saw her ON that tour back in 2005 at the Beachland Tavern - one of my all time favorite shows. Performance this night at The Ark completely lived up to it. I had a great seat for the show, but that also meant that it wasn’t really appropriate to capture any video of the show - so photos will have to do.
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.
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!
I’ve been waiting to Laura Gibson at a concert, after her amazing performance at Nelsonville Music Festival back in 2019. I became a little concerned when I saw the dates scheduled (Columbus / Akron) overlapped a camping trip I had already scheduled. Luckily schedules aligned and I was able to bring a friend along to the Columbus show, on our way camping (thanks Cassie!).
The house and the host were both delightful. Laura brought us all into the den area with only like 8-10 folks in attendance for an incredibly intimate experience (hence no video). Her songwriting, storytelling, and overal presence was designed for a house concert. This one will go down as one of my favorite performances of all time.
The Brother Brothers will draw me in to see them every time. They are such a cool couple guys, having already seen them at Nelsonville Music Festival, and then performing with Courtney Marie Andrews. This time one-upped those experiences by getting to see them in the intimate GAR Hall in Peninsula. A great seat, for a great nighti of music!
Another Spring, another work conference trip - back to San Diego! This time I was able to check out the venerable Casbah music venue, a space that I would say is very equivalent to the Beachland Ballroom in size, vibe, and authenticity. Would definitely go back.
I’d been catching back up with Tyler Ramsey (former lead guitarist of Band of Horses), and fell in love with his most recent album. More subtle and spacious than I’d generally appreciate, but I was drawn in to his great songwriting (and bummed I missed his recent Cleveland visit). Check it out.
Opening was Leslie Stevens. A new-to-me performer, but a great talent. Sporting a little quiver and a slight southern draw in her voice, she echoed Stevie Nicks and Janis Joplin(’s lighter side).
The venerable and always lovely and humorous Dar Williams. Seeing her perform at GAR Hall was a true delight, especially getting to experience the new expansion room & bar at the venue.
I’ve been lucky enough to have met Peter Yarrow and have seen Peter Paul and Mary multiple times, and this is all thanks to my friend Tim Smith. I couldn’t have been more thrilled that Peter is still touring and I was able to take Tim to see and talk with his dear friend once again.
The venerable John Gorka opened, and what a delightful man he is.
Full Photo Album:
I got to swing by the Black Swamp Arts Festival both Friday & Saturday nights while home visiting family. The first night I was excited to catch the renown Ruthie Foster perform!
Then on Saturday night I was thrilled to finally get to see Amythyst Kiah live!
Full Photo Album:
It’d been almost been 10 years since I’ve seen Mikaela Davis in concert, which was in the Beachland Tavern back then too. I was a little surprised to see her as headlining a Grateful Dead themed/inspired night, but she and her harp continue to work their magic. It made for a great way to spend my birthday.
Full photo album:
I was able to make it over to Oliver Hazard Day in Waterville, OH - but wasn’t able to stay long enough to see Oliver Hazard. However, Field Guide was a lovely discovery who I’m really enjoying!
Full Photo Album:
Another delightful Nelsonville Music Festival. Video includes clips by FERD, Geese, Jesse Daniel, Altin Gün, Mama’s Broke, Margo Price, Lido Pimiento, Jay Skaggs, Big Thief.
Full Photo Album:
Cain Park continues to bring in great artists and I couldn’t have been happier to catch Rufus Wainwright there on his Folkocracy album. I’ll also take any chance I can get to see Lucy Wainwright Roche again as well. If only more people could have attended… Gina Chavez opened.
Full Photo Album:
The B-Side is not the place I’d be expecting to catch a Damien Jurado & Chris Pureka show - but I’ll take what I can get! Both venerable artists continue to captivate.
Full Photo Album:
