DC’s top blog for live concert reviews
Erika Wennerstrom (Photo by Briana Purser)
In our native Ohio, you don’t have to go far from the city, whether it’s Erika Wennerstrom’s Dayton or my Akron, to be in well-water territory. Erika’s singing is a well: deep, resonant, and very, very cool, firm and sturdy.
Red Wanting Blue performs at Gypsy Sally’s on May 4, 2019. (Photo by Ari Strauss)
Red Wanting Blue fan were treated to a fantastic 90-minute set at Gypsy Sally’s over the weekend, but it was a performance that almost didn’t happen.
The Hackensaw Boys (Photo by John Smith)
It’s not every day that one sees a man wearing a homemade percussion instrument built mostly out of tin cans and a hubcap. But string band the Hackensaw Boys feature just such an instrument, the Charismo, originally created by founding member Fred Neuhardt, who has since left the band. The heavily bearded Beau Dodson, current percussionist for the Hackensaw Boys, used brushes to play the instrument in a lively show at Gypsy Sally’s recently.
Midnight North performs at Gypsy Sally’s on Dec. 15, 2018. (Photo by Nathan Payne)
Midnight North recently rocked Gypsy Sally’s with the help of the Doobie Decibel System Trio and Travers Brothership. The San Francisco band is composed of lead guitarists and vocalists Grahame Lesh (yep, Phil’s son!) and Elliott Peck with Alex Jordan on keys, guitar, and vocals, and finally, Connor O’Sullivan on bass.
Sarah Shook fronts The Disarmers at Pearl Street Warehouse on Sept. 12, 2018. Mark Caicedo chose a picture from this show (but not this one) as one of his Top 10 of 2018. (Photo by Mark Caicedo)
Editor’s Note: This year, we asked our bloggers to name their Top 10 shows of 2018 or choose their Top 10 photos of the year. We will run them over the course of mid-December as our Best of the Year posts.
Women have long been major influences in music history, going back to the jazz greats like Nina Simone Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald; through country legends Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, and Dolly; pop icons like Bette Midler, Madonna, and Cyndi Lauper; and the rock and blues greats Janis Joplin, Joan Jett, Deborah Harry and Chrissie Hynde.
Today, while female musicians like Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Pink, and Adele continue to break boundaries, local and regional bands feature women whose talent, drive and influence is just as powerful as the superstars.
My Top 10 concert photos of the year salute 2018 as the Year of Women.
Southern Culture on the Skids (Photo courtesy The Billions Corp.)
When I arrived at Gypsy Sally’s for Southern Culture on the Skids recently, all the tables had been taken. Finally, a friend and I found a couple of folding chairs and set ourselves up near the sound board. We thought that the venue couldn’t get any more crowded, but the legions of SCOTS fans just kept pouring into the venue.
Sarah Borges performs at Gypsy Sally’s on Oct. 18, 2018. (Photos by Marc Caicedo)
I’d never seen Gypsy Sally’s so packed. I counted no less than four members of the media who turned to cover Sarah Borges and fellow roots rockers the Bottle Rockets recently. We were well rewarded, because Sarah can flat out rock.
Sarah Borges (Photo courtesy Conqueroo)
Sarah Borges roared into Americana as the lead singer of the Broken Singles. After a stint solo, she’s back with the band, and they released a new album, Love’s Middle Name, on Oct. 12 via Blue Corn Music.
Now, Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles open for The Bottle Rockets at Gypsy Sally’s on Thursday, Oct. 18.
Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams perform on Aug. 1, 2017. (Photo by Jim Kerr)
Americana/roots music duo Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams have impressive resumes. For eight years, Larry, a multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, played guitar in Bob Dylan’s band. After working with Dylan, Larry became the bandleader for Levon Helm, formerly of The Band, and Teresa, a singer-guitarist, joined him. They’ve worked with any number of prominent artists: Jorma Kaukonen, Little Feat, and Phil Lesh.
Larry and Teresa showcased the skills that won them those collaborations to Gypsy Sally’s recently.
Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams (right side) and their band (Photo by Ahron R. Foster)
Singer-songwriter Larry Campbell and singer-guitarist Teresa Williams performed together in Levon Helm’s band. The duo teamed up for an eponymous album in 2015, and they did it again with a new record, Contraband Love, released last year via Red House Records. Larry and Teresa will play at Gypsy Sally’s on Thursday, Sept. 20.
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