Rooters rockers Dispatch released Yellowjacket, their ninth studio album, in June via Bomber Records/AWAL Recordings. The dynamic duo of jam bands are on tour in support of the album, and they recently performed live at the Filene Center at Wolf Trap.
Steve Satzberg was there to photograph the show!
Although now a resident of Chicago, Piedmont blues and neotraditional country musician Dom Flemons maintains strong ties to the DC area, where he lived for several years. He recently returned to region for a show at Rams Head on Stage, where he was joined on the bill by Sunny War.
Summer officially kicked off in Baltimore recently as Keyshia Cole’s The Way It Is Tour touched down in Charm City. The tour marked the remarkable 20th anniversary of the songstress’ debut album. That album marked a shift in R&B culture as it blended heartbreak ballads and hip-hop culture. The nearly sold-out crowd came prepared for nostalgia as Cole promised not to disappoint.
The Roots recently brought their signature fusion of hip-hop, jazz, soul, and funk to The Filene Center at Wolf Trap, delivering a masterclass in live musicianship that proved why they remain one of the most compelling acts in modern music — nearly four decades after their formation.
A bluesy spell was cast in Baltimore
You ever walk into a place and just feel the voltage in the air?
I’m not talking static cling or nervous excitement here: I mean full-blown, skin-prickling, ribcage-thumping electricity. That kind of buzz that hits you before the lights even dim, before a single chord is struck, before the first “whoo!” ricochets off the walls.
That was the Baltimore Soundstage on Sunday night, June 29. A night pinned between a muggy Mid-Atlantic heatwave and the tail end of Pride weekend. The humidity was thick enough to bite through, but no one gave a damn — we were all packed shoulder to shoulder and already sweating bullets by the time Samantha Fish took the stage.
Car Seat Headrest are back! And at their tour opener at The Anthem Saturday night, the band that started in Northern Virginia made their return to an enthusiastic sold-out crowd.
It’s an understatement to call the journey back from 2020’s Making a Door Less Open to their just released thirteenth album, The Scholars a roller coaster. The last time I saw Car Seat Headrest was also at The Anthem and right after things started opening back up after the start of Covid. After that show, Will Toledo – front person and creative lead – would be affected by and start on his long road through Long Covid and related health concerns. The result would lead eventually into a sort of conceptual record that took as much from lush 1970’s rock as it does from the sound of bands like The Talking Heads.
We don’t get a chance to see Australian country musician Kasey Chambers often in the States, but when she makes it here, she delivers the goods. She recently put on a stunning show at The Birchmere filled with great songs and stories, filled with heart and humor, celebrating family, that was one of the most emotionally powerful performances I’ve ever seen.
Country music’s roots lie in folk music: That is to say, it is music of the people. With its commercialization, its mainstream has increasingly become sanitized in both its sonic and lyrical content, growing closer to pop and largely abandoning its populist roots.
But the old ways have not disappeared. They’ve just gone underground, where they’re maintained by artists like JP Harris, who now lives in — but is not a creature of — Nashville and its establishment. In his recent appearance at Jammin’ Java, Harris and his band brought the beating heart of tradition up to the present day.
Blondshell came on stage, set her tone, got the crowd support from the onset, and played an excellent show at recently at 9:30 Club. Her ability to set pace and get fans into her set has become a huge part of her presentation and entertainment ability — in addition to her great vocals. Blondshell is currently on tour in the USA in support of her latest release, If You Asked for a Picture.
There are some amazing bands and artists touring at the moment and there’s nothing like seeing a great band perform live. What could be better than that for a music fan? Two bands touring together and co-headlining a tour! That’s what I ran into on a recent evening at The Anthem when I caught Briston Maroney playing with Peach Pit on their Long Hair, Long Life Tour.
