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Heart Bones perform at the Metro Gallery in Baltimore on March 10, 2020. (Photo by Katherine Gaines)
Heart Bones might be the least pretentious band in existence. They hop on stage looking like somebody’s embarrassing parents in their matching khaki shorts, and walk away sweating through their own faces on their T-shirts.
On a recent night at the Metro Gallery, Heart Bones danced to their hearts’ content.
Trampled by Turtles performs at Baltimore Soundstage on Feb. 22, 2020. (Photo by Casey Vock)
What separates one band from the next might be the degree to which it challenges itself within the confines of whatever genre it is pigeonholed — and exercising creativity while respecting particular forms and traditions of your craft isn’t always easy.
For going on two decades, Duluth, Minnesota-based Trampled by Turtles has earned a reputation in the studio and on the road for testing the upper limits of bluegrass power and tempo while simultaneously honing the sweetest harmonies to ever come out of the Zenith City.
Nicholas David performs at 9:30 Club on Dec. 17, 2019. (Photo by Ari Strauss)
Nicholas David, a finalist on the third season of NBC’s The Voice, brought some soul to DC when he opened for Samantha Fish at the 9:30 Club recently.
The Cactus Blossoms perform at Pearl Street Warehouse on Oct. 18, 2019. (Photo by Nalinee Darmrong)
What’s classic has a vintage, but not everything old is a classic. Lots of music released in the ’50s and ’60s doesn’t rise to the level of classics. But the close harmonies of the Everly Brothers, a clear precedent for The Cactus Blossoms, certainly rise to the status of classics.
Great vocals, great songwriting, great playing are classic, and The Cactus Blossoms demonstrated their classic qualities in a recent show at Pearl Street Warehouse.
Charlie Parr (Photo courtesy the artist)
With a soulful voice and skilled resonator guitar playing, Charlie Parr recently held the crowd at the Black Cat at rapt attention. He briefly tuned his guitar before opening with the Ray Charles classic “C.C. Rider,” remarking, “We had a such a nice time on the way down, I thought this thing would be in better spirits.
The Cactus Blossoms (Photo courtesy High Road Touring)
The Cactus Blossoms, fronted by brother duo Jack Torrey and Page Burkum, performs at Pearl Street Warehouse on Friday, Oct. 18, supporting their acclaimed new album, Easy Way.
Charlie Parr (Photo courtesy Red House Records)
Singer-songwriter Charlie Parr released an eponymous new album, a collection of new songs and new studio versions of classics and audience favorites from throughout his career on Sept. 27 via Red House Records. He’s been touring his personal brand of folk blues, and he makes another stop at Black Cat on Wednesday, Oct. 9, to play his songs.
Low wows a sold-out show at the Metro Gallery on Sept. 11, 2019. (Photo by David LaMason)
It may seem strange talking about a band that hails from Duluth, Minnesota, but there’s a feeling I get when I see them perform that makes it feel like they’re from here — Baltimore, that is. Possibly the first time I saw them was right across the street from the Metro Gallery, where they performed to a sold-out crowd Wednesday night.
Lizzo rules the stage at 9:30 Club on May 20, 2019. (Photo by Katherine Gaines/ AmbientEye.com)
A booty-shaking self-help seminar: The Lizzo Experience.
Greg Norton, bass player of Porcupine, performs at Union Stage on March 16, 2019. (Photo by Jason Nicholson)
Legendary punk-poets The Flesh Eaters came to town to play Union Stage recently for what may be their only-ever DC show. But they brought along as openers rock trio Porcupine, who we hope to see a lot more often in the future. Jason Nicholson took some pictures of Porcupine.
