Tricky has a reputation as a live performer, and it isn’t always a good one. In the 30-plus years since Maxinquaye, there have been plenty of stories about shows that went sideways. I had never seen him before, so I jumped at the chance to see his first North American tour in eight years. I walked into the Lincoln Theatre with an open mind, not entirely sure what I was going to get but also ready for anything.
Aoife O’Donovan brought her solo acoustic tour to The Birchmere on Oct. 12, delivering a mesmerizing evening of folk music, exceptional guitar playing, and warm exchanges with an appreciative audience. Joined by Washington, DC duo The Sweater Set, O’Donovan demonstrated why she remains one of the most compelling performers in contemporary folk and bluegrass.
Painkillers: Brian Fallon’s Heartbreak Medicine
Words by Liz Wyatt
Photos by Steve Satzberg
Deep inside DC’s Black Cat, a music venue founded by former Gray Matter drummer Dante Ferrando and investors including Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, the front of the stage was filling with bald, bearded, well-heeled, well-mannered, and well-to-do DC men clad in plaid flannel, smelling of leather and nontoxic manly musk. American freedom rests in that manly musk.
The black-and-white checkered floor was dotted with fishnet stockings, Vans sneakers, and T-shirts from the band Brian Fallon fronted before the Painkillers, the Gaslight Anthem.
From her bedroom-pop beginnings to her commanding presence on larger stages, Filipino-British indie-rock artist beabadoobee has continued to evolve as a musician and performer. Her breakout single, “Coffee,” released in 2017, later found a wider audience when it was sampled in Powfu’s hit “Death Bed (Coffee for Your Head),” which reached No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Her fourth studio album, Pylon, released Sept. 18, marked another milestone, reaching No. 1 on the UK Official Albums Chart and a career-high No. 7 on the Billboard 200, becoming her first top 10 album in the United States. Her Oct. 10 performance at Merriweather Post Pavilion demonstrated how far she has come, transforming her intimate, nostalgic sound into a production suited to a venue of this scale.
DC is special to Bob Mould, singer and guitarist for the early-mid ‘90s alternative rock band Sugar. (Mould might bristle at that description; he has a song called “I Hate Alternative Rock.”)
“I love this city,” he said during the band’s recent performance at The Anthem. “I spent seven years here, and I loved every second of it.”
It’s a running joke that some of the most important figures in Americana, like The Band and Neil Young, are actually Canadian. Toronto’s Great Lake Swimmers, led by Tony Dekker, are one of the best groups working today in the Great White North’s folk and roots music traditions. Their performance at Jammin Java on Monday, with group member Colleen Brown opening, was full of lovely, atmospheric songs.
Banjo virtuoso Alison Brown has worn many hats. She’s been a member of Alison Krauss’s band, Union Station, musical director for Michele Shocked, and the musical partner of Steve Martin. She’s also run a label, a position she was uniquely qualified for, as she holds an MBA from UCLA. She’s also released a number of well-received albums, in which she pushes the banjo in new and interesting directions.
Over two sets at The Hamilton Live on Sunday, Alison showed off her picking skills with a variety of instrumentals and covers of classic songs.
Brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson, who form the heart of the North Mississippi Allstars, are music lifers. They were born into as the sons of the late legendary producer Jim Dickinson, who worked with everyone from the Rolling Stones to Big Star. Jim instilled a deep respect for the South’s musical traditions in them, but I wouldn’t call it veneration. There’s nothing stale or hidebound about their approach to American roots, and the distinctive blues of the north Mississippi hill country. They take a thoroughly modern approach to tradition, and they do it with dazzling musicianship. Their shows are always exciting, energetic, and celebratory, and Friday’s performance at the Hamilton was no exception.
Some musicians have to coax their audience to let loose and engage with their songs.
But not Alex Toth.
One of the two founding brains behind the wizardly indie pop project Rubblebucket, Alex has been packing venues and making people dance for nearly two decades. But out on their own, Alex records and performs as Tōth.
Mourning the loss of a close companion is certainly never a pleasant experience. But with his latest recording, one of Northern Ireland’s most compelling artists has turned his agony into heartbreaking songs that pay gorgeous tribute to his late best friend.
Joshua Burnside is a heralded singer-songwriter and guitarist from just outside of Belfast, who back in March released his sixth full-length studio album, It’s Not Going To Be Okay. The deeply reflective, somber record hears the 37-year-old grappling with the loss of his longtime pal Dean Jendoubi, and the 10 tracks are said to represent his most affecting work to date.
Burnside is currently touring stateside, and he brought his three-piece band to the DMV last week for what was a stunning and intimate performance at Jammin’ Java the night of Oct. 6.
