Sylvan Esso, the most prominent electronic duo to emerge from Durham, North Carolina, have been keeping themselves busy in the time I had last seen them (holy cow, has it really been three years?!).
Preview: Mountain Man @ Wolf Trap, 3/29/19
Mountain Man (Photo courtesy Nonesuch Records)
In February, folk trio Mountain Man released a new digital single, covering John Denver! “We love John Denver so much we gave Alex his haircut, and recorded a few of his legendary tunes too,” the band says. Perhaps they will play the songs, “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “Around and Around,” in their appearance at The Barns at Wolf Trap on Friday, March 29.
Music Park: Mountain Man @ Sixth & I — 10/22/18
Mountain Man performs at the Historic Sixth & I Synagogue on Oct. 22, 2018. (Photo by David LaMason)
Six years between tours and eight between albums seems like a long time, but for the North Carolina-based Mountain Man, it certainly doesn’t sound like years apart on their second full-length LP, Magic Ship (Nonesuch / Bella Union). Part of that reason is that recipe of rhythm and harmony that Amelia Meath, Alexandra Sauser-Monnig, and Molly Sarlé each add to the pot. Part traditional Appalachian folk songs and part post-modern Americana, the music created by this trio was both pleasant and off-center, an often transcendent stew that was totally engrossing at Sixth & I on Monday.
Don’t Miss: Mountain Man @ Sixth & I, 10/22/18
Mountain Main (Photo courtesy Nonesuch Records)
Traditional Appalachian folk band Mountain Man released Magic Ship, the band’s second studio album, on Partisan Records earlier this year. The indie folk trio performs at Sixth & I in DC on Monday, Oct. 22.
Music Park: Sylvan Esso @ The Anthem — 7/26/18
Sylvan Esso dazzles a packed The Anthem on July 26, 2018. (Photo by David LaMason)
There’s a magic that Amelia Meath (vocals) and Nick Sanborn (producer/sound engineer) create. It’s an infectious feeling generated by Amelia’s compelling voice and energetic dance moves — itself buoyed by the soundscapes formed and molded by Nick’s panel of sounds. Over the past two LPs (2014’s self-titled Sylvan Esso and last year’s What Now), the North Carolina-based Sylvan Esso created beat-soaked tunes that stick in your head. But it’s their live show that’s a force to behold.
On Thursday night at The Anthem, the duo pulled no punches.