Set listed.

Kelly Rowland and Solange

Sat, 11 May 2013 11:04:14 -0400

I fell a bit behind with my recaps, but I have to dedicate a post to these amazing ladies. I could not have seen them at more different events and I’m not attempting to compare the two. My procrastination is the sole link (well, that and some former member of Destiny’s Child.)

I recruited my friend Stephanie to see Ms. Rowland at a corporate event for Courvoisier. Free booze and a chance to hear a DC medley might have been a factor in my RSVP. The DJ before the small 10-song concert spun some good ‘ol ’90s/’00s hip-hop and R&B (Fabolous, anyone?) and set the mood before Kelly took the stage. No, she didn’t take the stage. She OWNED the stage. Her infectious energy and two dancers set the tone, but it was her voice that really got everyone’s attention. It was well presented, but by no means the extravaganza we’ve come to expect from Beyonce. Kelly didn’t need the extravaganza — her voice was strong and flexible, running up and down the scale with a strong command. Her choreography was minimal, but perfect for her style of performance. I was really impressed.

Speaking of Beyonce, I planted myself in the front row for her headlining gig at BAM’s Crossing Brooklyn Ferry Festival. Also on the bill that night was Antibalas (amazing as always), Eddi Front (as hipster as you could get), David Longstreth (put me to sleep), and Exitmusic (interesting sound). Solange was far and away the highlight of the line-up. Drawing from past albums and her current EP, she led a tight band with her signature sound that reminds no one of her big sister. She looked incredible (those legs!) and sounded amazing, from her in-the-pocket tunes to her runs that punctuated the melancholy in some of her songs. Of course “Losing You” was a big hit with the crowd, but she covered all of her material and even covered Selena’s “I Could Fall in Love with You.” And later in the show, she joined the growing (awesome) trend of asking people to put down their phones and just enjoy the music, calling out “the gentleman in the white” for not grinding enough when she asked us to. She’s a cool, confident chick who I’m excited to see again at the Northside Fest this summer.

Solange headlining Friday’s Crossing Ferry Festival.

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 01:45:16 -0400

Solange headlining Friday’s Crossing Ferry Festival.

Miss Kelly, working it out.

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 22:06:28 -0400

Miss Kelly, working it out.

Joe Fletcher - March 22 at Rockwood Music Hall

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 10:45:00 -0400

A quick note on this quick set: If Joe Fletcher is ever stopping off in NYC to play an hour or so at Rockwood, it’s worth going. For starters, it’s free. Also, it’s Joe Fletcher. Grab a beer, sing along and enjoy. (Side note: when Joe asks you to sing with him, everyone automatically adopts his accent, which cracks me up. Listen for it next time. We all turn into Fletcher-esque wannabes.)

His Dylan and Molina covers were lovely, as were his originals. Hope to see him again when I make my pilgrimage to Newport.

Mahler’s Symphony No. 5

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:25:30 -0400

Mahler’s Symphony No. 5

London Philharmonic - March 11 at Avery Fisher Hall

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:24:00 -0400

So this is a slightly different post from me! Not the usual concert, but an interesting evening nonetheless. It’s been years since I’ve seen a live orchestra perform, and I was really glad I accepted an invitation to go with some co-workers.

The London Philharmonic performed two pieces: Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 (with Helene Grimaud on piano) and Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. Both were conducted by Vladimir Jurowski. The first piece was lacking and the pianist, while incredibly talented, was one of those performers who sways and dips dramatically while playing. It was beyond distracting, and I found my thoughts wandering all over the place (mostly to sleep).

Not the case for Symphony No. 5. It was riveting, even at 75 minutes in length. It was incredibly lush and had an interesting, almost cinematic quality to it. I kept thinking it reminded me of Anna Karenina for some reason. There were light, bubbly moments, but they were always followed by weighty, dramatic sections that had an undertone of dread.

I could give Symphony No. 5 a few more listens without ever being bored, especially under the capable hands of the London Philharmonic.

Absolutely sums up my love for the Newport Folk Festival.

Sat, 09 Mar 2013 10:28:00 -0500

Absolutely sums up my love for the Newport Folk Festival.

The NPR concert in its entirety: “Evil Eye”“A...

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:21:00 -0500

The NPR concert in its entirety:

“Evil Eye”
“A Certain Light”
“Wolves”
“New Lover”
“The Right Time”
“The Temptation of Adam”
“The Appleblossom Rag”
“Folk Bloodbath”
“Hopeful”
“Harrisburg”
“Nightmares”
“In Your Arms Again”
“Joy to You Baby”
“To the Dogs or Whoever”
“Lights”

Josh Ritter - March 4 at Le Poisson Rouge

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:20:00 -0500

My friend Graham invited me to tag along to Josh Ritter’s album release show at LPR, which was being filmed by NPR for a live broacast. Graham is a huge fan of Ritter, but this was my first introduction to his music.

I had given the new album a listen already (also thanks to NPR), and it was striking in its honesty, sadness, and optimism. It sprang from his experience with a divorce (hence the sadness) and really felt like it was an open book regarding what he was going through. He mentioned during the concert (other than how nervous they all were) that he still felt marriage was a beautiful wonderful thing to try, and you could hear hints of his healing throughout the night.

“Joy to You Baby” is a catchy simple song that is a great promo for the album, but “New Lover” really resonated with me. I think everyone has been in that place where you finally heal, but still get a little satisfaction out of failed love’s faults. Ritter captured that feeling perfectly, and judging by the audience’s reaction, it hit home with many others too. “Hopeful” was another standout, for the eternal optimist in me.

He’ll be returning to NYC for a show at Terminal 5 with the awesome Felice Brothers. Not sure how their sound will work there, but it’s great to see talent like this playing some of the larger venues in New York. Now excuse me while I catch up on Ritter and the six other albums in his discography…

PigPen’s opening song at the Mercury Lounge

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 16:53:17 -0500

PigPen’s opening song at the Mercury Lounge

PigPen Theatre Co. - February 26 at Mercury Lounge

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 16:49:00 -0500

The world is enamored with bands like Mumford & Sons, The Avett Brothers and The Lumineers right now. So it makes sense that PigPen Theatre Co. ended up tied with their contemporaries at #10 on a “Best Albums of 2012” list.

But PigPen Theatre Co. can’t just be thrown into the same category as the others. They happen to be a lot more. In addition to being a seven-piece band that switches instruments between songs like they’re playing musical chairs, they also create theater and film, and even have a book coming out soon. And judging by the crowd at the Mercury Lounge, they have quite a following.

The Mercury Lounge was a great setting for them (and for opening act Elijah Ocean); it was intimate and the audience was so quiet during the songs, which is an incredible change of pace. A lot of PigPen’s songs are beautifully composed, full of melodies, harmonies, and sweet, quiet moments. Not to say they don’t have riotous (of course banjo-driven) songs either — but their story-laden music accompanied by guitars, accordions, keyboards, violins, and anything else they could find is at its best when lead singer Ryan Melia’s concise voice can weave a tale often involving the moon or the sea.

I’m looking forward to what they dream up next. Maybe I’ll have to catch one of their plays too.

PigPen Theatre Co. at Mercury Lounge

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 12:51:05 -0500

PigPen Theatre Co. at Mercury Lounge

Tibet House Benefit Concert - February 21 at Carnegie Hall

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 12:37:00 -0500

An incredible opportunity landed in my inbox: Would you like to see the Tibet House Benefit Concert tonight? With a line-up including Jim James, Ariel Pink, tUnE-yArDs, Rahzel, Ira Glass, and Patti Smith, I was absolutely going. The benefit was emceed by Philip Glass and included a number of traditional Tibetan artists.

When I heard Ira Glass was on the bill, I was hoping he would include the Monica Bill Barnes Company, whom he had collaborated with recently. The dance company is beyond fun and quirky, and I was so glad he invited them along. They are greatly entertaining, and the crowd loved them like I did when I first saw their choreography at Fall for Dance years ago.

But my highlight of the night was Patti Smith. I had never seen her perform before — always missed out on a ticket to her perpetually sold-out shows. In top of the two songs she sang (leading a full concert bill finale), she also performed Allen Ginsberg’s “Wichita Vortex Sutra” accompanied by Philip Glass. What a surreal night.

(Photo by awesome concert-going friend of mine, Brian H.)

Mumford & Sons, Haim and Ben Howard - “The...

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 11:30:00 -0500

Mumford & Sons, Haim and Ben Howard - “The Weight”

Mumford & Sons - February 12 at Barclays Center

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 11:25:37 -0500

Two years ago at Bonnaroo, I dragged some friends to hear a band called Mumford & Sons. “Who?” I told them to just trust me. Post-set (which was capped with an insane collaboration of M&S, Old Crow Medicine Show, Alison Kraus and Union Station, and Jerry Douglas), I was surrounded by five new fans.

Two days ago, the Barclays Center was packed with Mumford fans, the second of two sold-out shows. Coming off of two recent Grammy wins, including Album of the Year, the band was lively as ever and felt really appreciative toward the audience for their support.

Opening acts Haim and Ben Howard were serviceable. A few Haim songs really rocked out, and Howard mellowed the crowd out as a lovely banjo-less primer. Which is good, considering Mumford & Sons serves up a whole lot of the stringed instrument for a solid 17-song set.

A whole set of Mumford can be a lot, and even with a number of slow songs added, the rep can start to blend together with the grand lyrics and Biblical allusions. Luckily, they reprised their Grammy homage to Levon Helm and sang the roof off with a cover of “The Weight.” I prefer Glen Hansard’s version, but Mumford & Sons did well by it and it was a great way to end the crowd-pleasing show.

M&S

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 13:07:00 -0500

M&S

“Birmingham”

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:21:03 -0500

“Birmingham”

Shovels and Rope - January 31 at Bowery Ballroom

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:13:00 -0500

Shovels and Rope put on a hell of a show. I had a front-row spot for their recent concert at the Bowery Ballroom, and I was not disappointed in the least.

Opening act Andrew Combs played a nice, acoustic 40-minute set with pedal steel player Spencer Cullum Jr. His voice is light and sweet, but man does he play a sad song. A whole set of sad songs to be precise. He’s talented, but an upbeat tune here and there would balance out his sound nicely.

But maybe he was just trying to balance out the rip-roaring sounds of Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent, who barreled onto the stage after him. Over the course of an hour and a half, the married South Carolina duo won over the Ballroom crowd with an infectious blend of enthusiasm (Hearst’s smile!) and a whole lot of sweat (Trent’s…well, everything).

Shots were shared: “Look, New York City bought us a drink! That’s a first!” Jokes were too: “Here’s a beautiful song (Boxcar) with no Camaros and no erections. Our first song we ever wrote together.” And so were the instruments. The two swapped guitars and harmonicas and shared the duty of the rhythm section throughout the night.

They’re beyond talented, having just performed the night before on Letterman, and they’re just a lot of fun. Between the two albums they’ve recorded, there was plenty of music to go around. And they even capped the night with a little homage to Tom Waits. Definitely recommend catching them live — the records just don’t do their high energy and passion enough justice.

Shovels and Rope at the Bowery Ballroom.

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 22:24:53 -0500

Shovels and Rope at the Bowery Ballroom.

“Broken” by Jake Bugg.

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 10:57:22 -0500

“Broken” by Jake Bugg.