The Driver Era recently performed at The Fillmore Silver Spring as a part of their East Coast spring tour. They previously visited The Fillmore in the summer of 2022. This tour marks their fourth headlining tour as the rebranded Driver Era.
Live Review: Hans Williams w/ Virginia Man @ DC9 — 4/23/24
Hans Williams recently brought his tour to DC9 nightclub following the release of his new EP More Than One Way Home, and the anticipation was obvious as fans eagerly awaited his performance. Coming all the way from New Orleans (via Vermont), Williams drew a sold-out crowd, setting the stage for a special evening.
Live Review: Ruston Kelly @ Sixth & I — 4/21/24
Alluding to his divorce from fellow musician Kacey Musgraves, Ruston Kelly recently told the audience at the Historic Synagogue at Sixth & I about how, the moment he started pulling his shit together, his life fell apart.
Live Review: Willie Watson @ Rams Head on Stage — 4/21/24
Plenty of talented songwriters have put in their time only to exit the profession all together, looking to enjoy whatever else life might have to offer.
But sometimes their musician friends, or perhaps famous movie directors, or maybe even the songs themselves come calling, and hiatus gives way to a refreshed desire and renewed vision for sharing music.
Willie Watson has said to hell with songwriting, recording, and performing on a couple different occasions, but the 44-year-old banjo and guitar picker from New York’s Southern Tier has been drawn back to music more than once thanks to the influence of the creative people in his circle.
To the delight of many, he’s currently out on tour, including a recent date at Rams Head on Stage, and is set to release what will be just his third solo album.
Live Review: girl in red @ The Anthem — 4/20/24
Girl in red does it like no one else. Her dedication to making each of her concerts an intimate experience for everyone in attendance is unmatched. Despite selling out two back-to-back nights recently at The Anthem in Washington, DC, she managed to make the 6,000-person venue feel as intimate as a small club.
Snapshots: flipturn @ 9:30 Club — 4/18/24
The Baltimore-Washington metro area affords many privileges for the frequent concert goer. One is witnessing bands on the rise graduate from the smaller venues of the region to play one of the most popular of them of all: 9:30 Club in Washington DC.
flipturn has been packing joints and blowing the roof off them since the indie rock quintet formed in 2015, and though it’s released only one full album in the form of 2022’s Shadowglow, the Fernandina Beach-bord group is riding tremendous momentum as a result of thrilling live performances and visionary songwriting.
Live Review: Jade Bird w/ Mary Moore @ The Miracle Theatre — 4/20/24
In 2018, I saw Waxahatchee at the Miracle Theatre. Later this year, she’ll be playing at the exponentially larger Wolf Trap. I expect Jade Bird, who recently played The Miracle Theatre on her Opening the Songbook tour, to follow the same path. She’s a special talent.
Snapshots: Matthew Sweet w/ Abe Partridge @ Lincoln Theatre — 4/20/24
Power pop powerhouse Matthew Sweet recently dropped by the Lincoln Theatre for a career-spanning showcase with a full band of truly exciting musicians.
Steve Satzberg was there to photograph the show!
Live Review: Robyn Hitchcock @ The Hamilton Live — 4/19/24
Over two sets recently at The Hamilton Live, Robyn Hitchcock showed he is one of the true originals in music. The eccentric British singer-songwriter treated the audience to songs both beautiful and strange, accompanied by stage banter that was as surreal as it was entertaining.
Originally a folkie influenced by figures like Nick Drake, Hitchcock first recorded with the Soft Boys at the end of the ’70s and the beginning of ’80s. The Soft Boys went against the grain — at the time, punk was the dominant force in music — playing lyrically smart jangle pop. Though they didn’t meet with a lot of commercial success, they’d influence generations of alt-rockers from REM to the New Pornographers to Matthew Sweet and the Hold Steady.
Live Review: Alice Phoebe Lou @ 9:30 Club — 4/19/24
I think more venues should host early shows, and Alice Phoebe Lou does too. The South African singer-songwriter recently ended a month-long North American tour with an early set at the 9:30 Club in DC.
Taking the stage promptly at 7:30pm, Alice joked with the crowd that she had never been so grateful to play early, because she was wearing her last clean t-shirt. Throughout a relaxed set bathed in warm pink and red lights, Alice and her band translated that gratitude into a joyful performance of her soulful style of indie rock.