Live Review: Midnight North @ The 8×10 — 7/6/22

Posted on July 13, 2022 by Casey Vock in Live Review and tagged California, jam band, Midnight North, psychedelic, San Francisco, The 8X10.

Grahame Lesh leads Midnight North in a performance at The 8X10 in Baltimore on July 6, 2022. (Photo by Casey Vock)

When you’re born the son of one of the most respected musicians of all time, it takes courage and perseverance to carve your own original path and still honor your heritage.

Grahame Lesh is navigating such an extraordinary scenario with fortitude and class as one of two leading voices and guitars driving Midnight North, a band that got its start about 10 years ago in San Francisco and honed its sound through many a night at Marin County’s late, great Terrapin Crossroads and by way of ambitious touring all across the country.

Their energetic road trips brought Midnight North to spots throughout the DMV in recent years, and at a recent stop at The 8X10 in Baltimore, Grahame showed that his band’s diligence and consideration is indeed paying off in the form of one of the most endearing and dynamic outfits on tour today.

Live Review: Sierra Ferrell @ The 8×10 — 4/19/22

Posted on April 25, 2022 by Casey Vock in Live Review and tagged bluegrass, country, Nashville, Sierra Ferrell, Tennessee, The 8X10.

Sierra Ferrell leads her band in a performance at The 8×10 in Baltimore on April 19, 2022. (Photo by Casey Vock)

An extraordinary blend of voice and presentation can whisk a live audience to another place and day, but few musicians wield that kind of magic.

Sierra Ferrell, a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist hailing from West Virginia, has been sanctified with an uncommon, enrapturing old-time vocal ability and outstanding picking skills that are helping her blaze a trail within a unique realm that’s been aptly referred to as gypsy bluegrass.

At a recent stop at The 8×10 in Baltimore, Sierra showed herself to be an evolving and illustrious stage presence in leading an ageless set of music.

Live Review: Cris Jacobs’ A Very Jerry Christmas @ The 8×10 — 12/20/21

Posted on December 23, 2021 by Casey Vock in Live Review and tagged Americana, Baltimore, Christmas, Cris Jacobs, jam band, Jerry Garcia, Maryland, The 8X10.

Cris Jacobs performs at The 8×10 in Baltimore on Dec. 20, 2021, the first of A Very Jerry Christmas, his annual series of holiday shows paying tribute to Jerry Garcia. (Photo by Casey Vock)

Admirable and arguably underappreciated is the local musician who’s become known across the country but is so multi-talented, enthusiastic and flexible as to wear a variety of hats to connect with hometown concertgoers in so many different ways.

Cris Jacobs emerged on the Baltimore circuit 20 years ago in the bluegrass group Smooth Kentucky — a squad that still performs locally — and he cut his teeth at a time the city was earning its reputation for having one of the nation’s very best music scenes. The leader of The Bridge, a beloved jam band blending a world of different sounds, Jacobs was right in the thick of it for a decade at the front of this colorful outfit, forging relationships near and far and all the while expanding his own influences.

Live Review: Circles Around The Sun @ The 8×10 — 2/27/20

Posted on March 5, 2020 by Casey Vock in Live Review and tagged Circles Around the Sun, Neal Casal, neo-psychedelia, psychedelic, The 8X10.

Circles Around the Sun performs at The 8X10 in Baltimore on Feb. 27, 2020. (Photo by Casey Vock)

What’s the best way to pay respects to a friend who left too early? There’s probably no perfect answer to that question, but it’s an admirable deed to carry out the last known wishes of a beloved one you’ve lost.

That’s the density of the mission that recently brought Circles Around the Sun to Baltimore for a performance at The 8×10 to kick off the band’s first multi-state tour since the death of the group’s shepherd, Neal Casal.

Live Review: The Seldom Scene @ The 8×10 — 1/24/19

Posted on January 28, 2019 by Matt Ruppert in Live Review, Local Spotlight and tagged Baltimore, bluegrass, The 8X10, The Seldom Scene.

The Seldom Scene performs at The 8×10 on Jan. 24, 2019. (Photo by Matt Ruppert)

The Seldom Scene is closer to their 50th anniversary (2021) of making music than they are to their 40th, and they maintain relevance in the scene that by many accounts they either buoyed or helped create. They certainly nodded to bluegrass traditions at The 8X10 in Baltimore recently. But like so many musicians that followed them, The Seldom Scene borrowed from other genres such as country, rock, and pop – with ease and a deep familiarity.

Best of the Year: Top 10 Concerts of 2018 by Shantel

Posted on December 14, 2018 by Shantel M Breen in Live Review and tagged 9:30 Club, Baltimore Soundstage, Best of 2018, best of the year, GWAR, marco benevento, Old 97's, Rams Head Live, Shame, shantel m breen, The 8X10, The Anthem, The Front Bottoms, The Joy Formidable, The Regrettes, Tremonti, Wolf Alice, Young the Giant.

Marco Benevento shakes up The 8×10 on June 14, 2018. (Photo by Shantel M. Breen)

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.

This year has been a music filled year for me. I have managed to make it to over 80 shows in 2018 and some of these shows I had the pleasure of reviewing for Parklife DC. As I wrap up my concert calendar for this year, I started reflecting on my most memorable shows for 2018. I focused on shows that I felt were excited to photograph or the performance left an impression on me. In most cases, the shows in my Top 10 were the first time seeing the band perform and consequently, winning me over as a new fan. Listed in chronological order, my Top 10 will take you through 2018 and hopefully remind you of some great musical memories as well!

Music Park: Tyler Childers @ The 8×10 — 10/16/18

Posted on October 19, 2018 by Matt Ruppert in Live Review and tagged Americana, bluegrass, country, The 8X10, Tyler Childers, West Virginia.

Tyler Childers performs at The 8×10 in Baltimore on Oct. 16, 2018. (Photo by Matt Ruppert)

Tyler Childers recently released his early recordings Live on Red Barn Radio I & II on vinyl and CD with a flashy new cover. Having been on tour for just a slice short of forever (Tyler sang a tune called “Ever Lovin’ Hand” about, well, I’ll call it monogamy and the loneliness of touring two-thirds of the year), this tour was not exactly for the new record, but a continuation of the heavy lifting he and the boys have been muscling through, as they did at The 8×10 in Baltimore on Oct. 16.

Music Park: lespecial @ The 8×10 [Baltimore, Md.] — 2/21/18

Posted on February 26, 2018 by Corey Paterson in Live Review and tagged Baltimore, Boston, electronica, lspecial, psychedelic, The 8X10.

lespecial (Photo courtesy Hoplite Music)

After listening through lespecial’s latest album I was excited to see how the music translated to a live performance. Let me tell you, the performance did not disappoint. lespecial stopped by The 8×10 in Baltimore on Wednesday night and shared their music and abilities with the crowd.

Don’t Miss: lespecial @ The 8×10 [Baltimore, Md.], 2/21/18

Posted on February 19, 2018 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged Baltimore, Boston, electronica, lespecial, New York City, psychedelic, The 8X10.

lespecial (Photo courtesy the band)

Trio lespecial released cheen, their second studio album, last fall. The band are on tour with a stop at The 8×10 in Baltimore on Wednesday, Feb. 21.