As I entered The Atlantis, I slowly prepped my camera and noticed that the room was filled with a soft, electric anticipation. Bubbling beneath the surface, scores of twitchy feet gathered in shadowed spaces, attached to hushed convos above, awaiting the arrival of singer-songwriter Maya Hawke — aka Robin Buckley, from the beloved Netfilix series, “Stranger Things.” An intimate audience of all ages reveled at their good fortune for attending her sold out, mid-week performance in Washington, DC, the eve before the proper release of her fourth album, Maitreya Corso (Mom+Pop). Hawke describes Maitreya Corso as a lead character to a fantasy world of her own making; a “magical misfit, whose sheer inability to adapt to the surrounding world allows her to create a world of her own, and to explore the positive and negative power of the ego.”
At The Atlantis on April 29, “An Evening with Maya Hawke” was just that – a quite modest stage setup of three chairs for Hawke, producer/creative partner Christian Lee Hutson (formerly of The Driftwood Singers), and violinist Odessa Jorgensen. Both 6-string and 12-string acoustic guitars rested a short distance behind Hawke and Hutson on a sturdy black multi-guitar stand. The resounding air of “folk-tastical” hung in the air like (local legend) John Fahey’s ghost, grinning like the Cheshire Cat, dissolving gently into pre-concert murmurings.
Finally, Hawke, Hutson, and Jorgensen qently glide onto the stage. The evening began with the staccato-esque “Devil You Know,” Hawke choosing the somewhat controversial vocoder for the genre. “Love of My Life” is perhaps reminiscent of happier Elliot Smith vibes, if there ever were any: “…what if I got what I wanted, what if I knew how to be…” The keyboards’ hippity-hoppity feel on “Great Minds” fleshes out Hawke’s younger travelling mind and recollections, investigating her own identity juxtaposed against her parents, actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman: “…you say you see yourself in me, but sometimes great minds think differently…”
Stream “Great Minds” by Maya Hawke on YouTube:
The lovely simplicity of “Dream House” evokes surprising hope in love, the crowd sways to the relaxed flow of Hawke’s melody: “Isn’t time flying by, was just yesterday I said it’s alright you and I will be careful and kind…I am falling in love with my life…” and ”Slacker in the Rye” is a more traditional folk piece, with Jorgensen’s violin prowess highlighting Hawke’s and Hutson’s subdued guitars and dreamy vocals.
Further twee streams of self-consciousness and the eventual acknowledgement of regret are portrayed in “Last Living Lost Cause,” a plucky lullaby with nods to Chris Thile/Punch Brothers, describing Hawke eventually walking away from volatility: “…proving yourself isn’t ever going to teach anybody a lesson…I hope you know you deserve to be the person I thought you were…” and the disjointedness in both the beginning and ending of “Lioness” explores Hawke owning her own eccentricity, in all it’s glory: “I work in mysterious ways…at the bottom of it all there’s a big dream, grass growing back through the concrete.”
In between songs Hawke engaged frequently with her adoring and curious crowd. She described her record release at the venue as her “quiet war against the streamers…to try and get the music out there and everywhere possible…” Popular subjects like astrology (btw she is Cancer (sun)/Capricorn (moon)/and Scorpio (rising)) drew much attention and dialogue from her fans: “…what if therapy was actually comforting?” Alluding to the ebbs and flows of each lunar cycle: “…and it’ll all be over in a month…” The crowd nods and cheers vehemently in agreement, greatly appreciating this alternative to self-care. Hawke also discussed a little of her childhood:”…my mom calls me bunny squirrel and bunny duck…” and mentions that people call her “Maya Rae” when they are trying to butter her up.
Toward the end of the performance, the warm and more innocent melodies of “Bring Home My Man” again evoked the cautious, hopeful nature of love, and “Hang in There” (from Chaos Angel, 2004) plus a cover of country artist Brad Paisley’s “Online” introduced other offerings from Hawke’s repertoire.
Watch the official music video for “Hang in There” by Maya Hawke on YouTube:
Hawke then mentions that the band have been on the road for a while now, are a bit run down, a bit under the weather. They decide to forgo the encore and extend their set. Her gorgeous vocals on “Luna Moth” (from her sophomore album Moss, 2022) resonate; Hawke softly plays her 12-string guitar, while Hutson adds electric guitar for texture, the sound reverberating like dying wings. The evening ends with the monumental “Thérèse,” based on the controversial 1938 painting Thérèse Dreaming by Balthus, which depicts a young girl lounging upon a pillow, lost in thought. Hawke has mentioned how the girl was vital inspiration (“like a childhood friend”) growing up. The crowd hums the repetitive chorus right through to the very end: “Thérèse does not belong to you…It’s tactless, it’s a test, It’s just Thérèse, It’s just Thérèse…”
As a final note to the aspiring creatives in the crowd, both Hawke and Hutson talk about the importance of live creative interaction: “…Music and theatre are old art forms…put on house shows…as much stuff as you can do in person…having faith…if you build out your community, they will not have to sort you out through the internet…and they will protect you.” Indeed.
Here are some photos of Maya Hawke performing live at The Atlantis on April 29, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Nalinee Darmrong.
