Live Review: Watchhouse @ Wolf Trap — 7/7/21

Posted on 07/12/2021 by Mark Engleson in Live Review and tagged Casey Vock, folk, North Carolina, Watchhouse, Wolf Trap.

Watchhouse performs at Wolf Trap on July 7, 2021. (Photo by Casey Vock)

Watchhouse, the duo of singer-songwriter Andrew Marlin and multi-instrumentalist Emily Frantz, has been making roots music for over a decade, formerly under the moniker Mandolin Orange. They are sometimes called a “bluegrass duo,” but their music has also been characterized as folk and Americana. From North Carolina, Marlin and Frantz are clearly influenced the traditional Appalachian mountain music of their home state, but they’re not strictly acoustic traditionalists; their band includes an electric guitar and drums.

Preview: Watchhouse @ Wolf Trap, 7/7/21

Posted on 07/02/2021 by Parklifer in Preview and tagged folk, Mandolin Orange, North Carolina, Watchhouse, Wolf Trap.

Watchhouse (Photo by Shervin Lainez)

Folk duo Watchhouse return to the DC metro area to perform at Wolf Trap on Wednesday, July 7.

Formerly known as Mandolin Orange, Watchhouse recently shared “Beautiful Flowers,” a slow-blooming elegy to a butterfly that takes an existential look at automotive expansion, the interconnectedness of nature, and the little-considered costs of industrialized society.

Livestream Preview: Angel Olsen @ Noon Chorus, 8/28/20

Posted on 08/25/2020 by Parklifer in Preview and tagged Americana, Angel Olsen, Asheville, livestream, North Carolina.

Angel Olsen (Photo by Kylie Coutts)

Angel Olsen unveils “Waving, Smiling,” a new single from Whole New Mess, her forthcoming album out this Friday, Aug. 28. on Jagjaguwar.

That same day, Angel performs in a livestream for her Cosmic Stream series on Noon Chorus!

Live Review: Squirrel Nut Zippers @ The Birchmere — 3/5/20

Posted on 03/09/2020 by Mark Engleson in Live Review and tagged jazz, North Carolina, Rashad Polk, Squirrel Nut Zippers, The Birchmere.

Jimbo Mathus fronts the Squirrel Nut Zippers at The Birchmere on March 5, 2020. (Photo by Rashad Polk)

Laaaaadies and geeeentleemen, if you missed it, you missed the most carnivalistic display of vaudeville performance on The Birchmere stage in recent memory. Those undeterrable rascals, those curious geeks, barkers, and showgirls, the Squirrel Nut Zippers put on an antiquarian revival show of towering proportions.

SNZ’s tour is celebrating the 25th anniversary of their debut album, The Inevitable Squirrel Nut Zippers, and they played it through on a recent evening. Playing in order, they began with “Lovers’ Lane.” For “Danny Diamond,” female vocalist Cella Blue came out wearing a feather boa and waving a fan.

Preview: YBN Cordae @ The Fillmore Silver Spring, 2/14/20

Posted on 02/10/2020 by Parklifer in Preview and tagged hip hop, North Carolina, rap, The Fillmore Silver Spring, YBN Cordae.

YBN Cordae (Photo by Jimmy Fontaine)

Shortly after being nominated for two Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song, YBN Cordae hit the road for his second headlining The Lost Boy Tour. The young rapper performs at The Fillmore Silver Spring on Friday, Feb. 14.

Snapshots: Town Mountain @ The Hamilton Live — 2/1/20

Posted on 02/06/2020 by Ari Strauss in Live Review and tagged Asheville, bluegrass, North Carolina, The Hamilton, The Hamilton Live, Town Mountain.

Town Mountain performs at The Hamilton Live on Feb. 1, 2020. (Photo by Ari Strauss)

Town Mountain brought its A-game to DC recently with a solid performance at The Hamilton Live. The evolutionary bluegrass band that plays with a rock ‘n’ roll feel performed songs from its vast catalog along with a few covers, including a bluegrass version of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire.”

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

Posted on 01/20/2020 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 01/08/2020 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: Christopher Paul Stelling @ Rock and Roll Hotel — 11/30/19

Posted on 12/02/2019 by David LaMason in Live Review and tagged Americana, Anti Records, Christopher Paul Stelling, folk, North Carolina, Rock and Roll Hotel.

Christopher Paul Stelling shakes the Rock and Roll Hotel on Nov. 30, 2019. (Photo by David LaMason)

As someone who has called Florida, Colorado, New York, and most recently North Carolina “home,” it’s fitting that the music of Christopher Paul Stelling has a rambling, seat-of-the-pants feel that’s at once untethered and feels like coming home.

Live Review: Sarah Shook & The Disarmers @ Pearl Street Warehouse — 11/23/19

Posted on 11/29/2019 by Mark Engleson in Live Review and tagged country, North Carolina, Pearl Street Warehouse, Sarah Shook, Sarah Shook and The Disarmers.

Sarah Shook & The Disarmers (Photo by Anthony Nguyen)

Chicago’s Bloodshot Records made its bones on a style of alt-country that mixes roots music and punk. While they hail from North Carolina, Sarah Shook & the Disarmers embody this rugged Windy City sound. Sarah’s clever songwriting reworks classic country themes and images with a 21st Century perspective, while her band backs her up hard and fast. Even at the last show of their last tour of the year, they played with energy, thrilling the packed Pearl Street Warehouse recently.