Live Review: The Dead Tongues @ Jammin’ Java — 5/7/22

Posted on May 11, 2022 by Casey Vock in Live Review and tagged Americana, Dead Tongues, Durham, folk, Jammin' Java, North Carolina.

Ryan Gustafson leads The Dead Tongues in a performance at Jammin’ Java on May 7, 2022. (Photo by Casey Vock)

Considering the toll that life can take, credit should be given to the songwriters who make it their goal to survey and understand some of the most daunting emotional terrain. The best of them are lucky to stay the course at all, as so many aspiring artists are pushed off course not by their own inabilities or creative drought, but rather consumed or distracted by the infinite other forces defining an existence.

Live Review: Jake Xerxes Fussell @ Pie Shop — 1/23/22

Posted on January 27, 2022 by Casey Vock in Live Review and tagged Durham, folk, Jake Xerxes Fussell, North Carolina, Pie Shop.

Jake Xerxes Fussell performs at Pie Shop in Washington DC on Jan. 23, 2022. (Photo by Casey Vock)

Authenticity might be the most essential quality for any musician, but that trait seems to be either intrinsic or elusive for humans in general. It’s presumable then that an artist who lives and breathes or — in some rare cases — was brought up on the music they eventually make is better equipped than most to capture listeners through recorded sound and live performance.

A wizardly fingerpicking guitarist and singer who grew up in a Columbus, Georgia, household steeped in traditional music and art, Jake Xerxes Fussell has managed over the course of four studio albums to inventively restore and refashion a wide cross section of folk music from different times and places in American history.

Preview: Jake Xerxes Fussell @ Pie Shop, 1/23/22

Posted on January 7, 2022 by Parklifer in Preview and tagged Durham, folk, Jake Xerxes Fussell, North Carolina, Pie Shop.

Jake Xerxes Fussell (Photo by Tom Rankin)

Singer, guitarist, and folk music interpreter Jake Xerxes Fussell releases his forthcoming album, Good and Green Again, on Jan. 21 via Paradise of Bachelors. He then performs at Pie Shop in DC on Sunday, Jan. 23.

Live Review: Hiss Golden Messenger @ 9:30 Club — 12/8/21

Posted on December 13, 2021 by Mark Engleson in Live Review and tagged 9:30 Club, David LaMason, Durham, folk, Hiss Golden Messenger, North Carolina, psychedelic.

Hiss Golden Messenger performs at 9:30 Club on Dec. 8, 2021. (Photos by David LaMason)

MC Taylor, the singer/songwriter at the helm of roots music outfit Hiss Golden Messenger, isn’t afraid to let his California influences show. Though he now lives in Durham, North Carolina, he began his musical career on the Pacific Coast with alt-country band The Court and Spark, and his music is deeply indebted to Laurel Canyon folk-rock and the psychedelic country-rock of the Grateful Dead.

The Grateful Dead never played DC’s 9:30 Club, but HGM’s recent performance there was perhaps a glimpse into what that might’ve been like. After an opening set by Philadelphia singer-songwriter Rosali, HGM took the stage for a set that ran far more than two hours, with plenty of long instrumental jams. They even closed the evening with a cover of the Dead’s “Bird Song.”

Preview: Hiss Golden Messenger @ 9:30 Club, 12/8/21

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Parklifer in Preview and tagged 9:30 Club, Americana, Durham, Hiss Golden Messenger, North Carolina.

Hiss Golden Messenger (Photo by Chris Frisina)

2021 Grammy nominee Hiss Golden Messenger are having a busy year! In June, the band released Quietly Blowing It via Merge Records, and they announced a tour that brings them to 9:30 Club on Wednesday, Dec. 8.

Then, Hiss Golden Messenger released a Christmas album, titled O Come All Ye Faithful, last month also via Merge.

Live Review: Sylvan Esso @ The Anthem –11/11/21

Posted on November 15, 2021 by David LaMason in Live Review and tagged Amelia Meath, dance, dance pop, Durham, Nick Sanborn, North Carolina, Sylvan Esso, The Anthem.

SEssoAnthem8 — ***Sylvan Esso shakes out the numb at The Anthem on Nov. 11, 2021. (Photo by David LaMason)***

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?!).

Live Review: Hiss Golden Messenger @ 9:30 Club — 1/15/20

Posted on January 20, 2020 by Casey Vock in Live Review and tagged 9:30 Club, Durham, folk, Hiss Golden Messenger, North Carolina.

MC Taylor fronts Hiss Golden Messenger at 9:30 Club on Jan. 15, 2020. (Photo by Casey Vock)

Anyone entering the 9:30 Club would have known immediately they weren’t attending any ordinary show. After all, you weren’t really passing into the familiar concrete space of the popular club at the end of the U Street Corridor. Rather, you were stepping foot into some sort of old-time fortune-teller’s boutique, a sacred space for sorcerers or sorceresses, or maybe some secret place of worship.

But, for what, those unfamiliar with Hiss Golden Messenger were probably unsure.

Preview: Hiss Golden Messenger @ 9:30 Club, 1/15/20

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Parklifer in Preview and tagged 9:30 Club, Americana, Durham, Hiss Golden Messenger, North Carolina.

Hiss Golden Messenger (Photo by Graham Tolbert)

Hiss Golden Messenger performs at 9:30 Club on Wednesday, Jan. 15, in support of their acclaimed new album Terms of Surrender, released in September via Merge Records.

Live Review: The Mountain Goats @ 9:30 Club — 4/26/19

Posted on May 1, 2019 by Mark Caicedo in Live Review and tagged 9:30 Club, Durham, folk, North Carolina, The Mountain Goats.

Mountain Goats perform at 9:30 Club on April 26, 2019. (Photo by Mark Caicedo)

I’m way late to the party when it comes to The Mountain Goats but my excuse is that the musical road that brought me to John Darnielle and company was very long and winding. To say the least. It finally took me to 9:30 Club to see the band recently.

Preview: Moogfest 2019 @ Durham, NC, 4/25-4/28/19

Posted on April 18, 2019 by Parklifer in Preview and tagged Daniel Miller, Depeche Mode, Durham, Kimbra, Martin Gore, Moogfest, Moogfest 2019, music festival, Mute Records, North Carolina, Questlove, synthesizer, synthpop, Thomas Dolby.

Daniel Miller (Photo by Joe Dilworth)

Moogfest, the top synthesizer festival and conference, celebrates its 15th anniversary in Durham, North Carolina, on April 25-28, 2019. The festival will feature a keynote presentation by Martin Gore of Depeche Mode as well as Daniel Miller of Mute Records, along with performances by Thomas Dolby, Kimbra, GAS, Tim Hecker (performing with the Konoyo Ensemble), Matthew Dear, US Girls, and more.

Moogfest recently released the full schedule of events for this year’s festival. Here is our list of the Top 10 things to see and hear at Moogfest 2019!