With his smooth Americana style music and skillful powerhouse of an accompanying band, Mitch Rowland recently engulfed DC’s 9:30 Club in his transformative swell of sweet melodies.
Rowland is originally from Dublin, Ohio, and played in multiple bands as a young adult. Living in Los Angeles at the time, he was invited by his audio engineer roommate to play the guitar on pop-star Harry Styles’ first solo album, after a previously scheduled guitarist dropped out last minute.
It was from there that Rowland quickly became closer with Styles, and even helped co-write and play guitar and percussion on nine tracks on the album. Rowland has accompanied Styles on the two world tours he’s gone on since they met, playing as his lead guitarist. Also through Styles, Rowland met his now wife, Sarah Jones. Jones played the drums on Styles’ tours, and has been playing the drums on Rowland’s solo tour as well.
While Rowland isn’t one to be exuberantly talkative, his music and genuine talent held the audience’s attention without issue; his nonchalant skill speaks louder than any words would. At 9:30 Club on March 11, his setlist consisted of songs from his first and latest album, Come June.
Starting off easy, Rowland played one of my favorite songs from his discography, “See The Way You Roll.” Mitch so perfectly uses his music to capture all sorts of emotions. “See The Way You Roll,” for example, starts slow, but over the course of the song, develops more and more energy, until it has listeners moving their heads and bodies to the beat, which is exactly what happened at 9:30 Club in DC. His ability to convey so much in such short amounts of time is part of what I believe makes his music so good. Other songs from his set that I recommend checking out are “Here Comes The Comeback,” “All The Way Back,” and “Come June.”
Stream Come June by Mitch Rowland on Spotify:
Setlist:
- See The Way You Roll
- Blue Bells
- Carry On With Your Tea
- On The Line
- Illusionist
- When It All Falls Down
- Goes With Everything
- Shadow Range
- All The Way Back
- The One I Love
- Medium Low
- Here Comes The Comeback
- Come June
- Oh! Sweet Nuthin’ (The Velvet Underground cover)
The 9:30 Club crowd a super tight-knit vibe. People of all ages were drawn out to see Mitch, and the community felt really caring and enthusiastic. Rowland’s peaceful music had everyone swaying and moving amongst themselves, while also fervently cheering on the band. There wasn’t a single bad view in the whole venue, and the intimacy of the show was unlike many others I’ve attended.
Witnessing Rowland and Jones play together in a setting as intimate as 9:30 Club was a joy to watch. From the guest balcony above the stage, their 2-year-old son, Scout, watched his parents capture the attention of the venue in its entirety. I hadn’t previously been to a show with so much chemistry on stage. The two worked so beautifully together, leading the rest of the band through each song.
Overall, the intimacy of the show in combination with talent that blew me out of the water, watching Mitch Rowland live was a privilege that I’m grateful to have experienced. Though he only has a few stops left on his North American Tour this year, I highly recommend checking him out next time he’s in a city near you.
Here are some additional photos of Mitch Rowland at 9:30 Club on March 11, 2024. All photos copyright and courtesy of Katie Child.
