Antifolk Night featuring Matt Stache, Phoebe Novak, Cannonball Statman, Grey Revell's Roman Candles
Roux
Dec. 12, 2013

• Grey Revell

Though Revell has expanded his sonic palette and geographical horizons over the years, he's kept in touch with the Antifolk scene which was - and still is - centered around NYC's Sidewalk Cafe. Roux's evening of challenging, hilarious, and at times, blood curdling performance spotlighted two luminaries from that loosey-goosey and mind-expanding scene - Brooklyn musicians Phoebe Novak and Jesse "Cannonball" Statman.

Sol Driven Train
Visulite Theatre
Dec. 7, 2013

Timmons' good-natured ribbing revealed Soul Driven Train's closeness and camaraderie, which extended beyond the band to the enthusiastic audience, some of whom appeared to have been following the Charleston five piece for quite some time.

Indeed, the Saturday night show which served as a kick-off party for the North Carolina Brewers and Music Festival in May, seemed as much an extended, all-inclusive family picnic as a concert. Before the show, Timmons had sauntered onstage to tune his guitar, chatting amiably with a woman in the crowd. Her watermelon colored knitted cap signified her devotion to a fan favorite, Sol Driven Train's sunny funk sensation "Watermelon."

Hugh Cornwell
Tremont Music Hall
Dec. 4, 2013

For a moment, it seemed that the snarling vocalist and steely guitarist of old remained, when a frequently unsociable Cornwell led Britain darkest, most aggressive - yet also most literate and melodic - punk band from the class of '77. But then Cornwell cracked a smile with a self deprecating shake of his head. "I'm just joking."

Earlier in the evening, the man dubbed "U.K. Punk's Dark Lord" by Rolling Stone, had trouped onstage and plugged in with little fanfare. True to form, the trio, including bassist Steve Fishman, were clad all in black. Yet Fishman's shirt sported a cute Felix the Cat logo, and instead of his leathers and trench coat from the late '70s, Cornwell was comfortably attired in tailored slacks and collared sports shirt. Managing to be both terse and friendly, Cornwell said, "We're going to do a mix of songs from the new LP, Totem and Taboo, and from the Stranglers. So let's get on with it."

Chris Cornell
Knight Theater
Dec. 2, 2013

• Chris Cornell

Cornell's soaring vocals were the focus throughout the night, as the guitar provided a simple background for his stunning range, power and tone. Whether he was belting out the chorus of "Hunger Strike" or pacing the stage while singing the emotional "When I'm Down," the sold-out venue reguarly gave the 49-year-old singer well-deserved standing ovations.

Matrimony
Chop Shop
Nov. 30, 2013

• Photos by Jeff Hahne
• Matrimony

A few technical difficulties throughout the night did little to hamper the band or crowd's energy. Matrimony played plenty of material from its upcoming Columbia Records debut, Montibello Drive, starting with "To the Road" and "Southern Skies."

Dave Rawlings Machine
Neighborhood Theatre
Nov. 25, 2013

• DaveRawlingsMachine.com
• Dave Rawlings Machine in Knoxville, Tenn.

It was a typical display of Rawlings' warm and quirky humor before a packed house at the Neighborhood Theatre, but it was also window on Rawlings' open heart and infectious enthusiasm. An inspired, incendiary guitarist, Rawlings is no slouch in the hot-shit-instrumentalist category, yet he simply could not believe his good fortune to be sharing the stage with such deft and simpatico musicians.

Rawlings' good fortune also shined on the appreciative, sometimes raucous, crowd. They were treated to two full sets Monday night. Highlights included Jones' lyrical, bluesy chops on the Charley Jordan cover "Keep It Clean," where the former Zep man's mandolin runs intertwined with Rawlings' nimble flat picking. Their muscular interplay and delicate filigree echoed "Bron y Aur Stomp" amid the old-timey tune.

Yet Jones was not the only shiny cog in Rawlings' string-driven machine. With earthy and witty good cheer, long-time musical partner Gillian Welch greeted the audience. "I gotta make an apology," she confided, "This band is having the worst bad hair day ever." Welch blamed the band's previous stop on their tour. "It must be that Chapel Hill water." Yet Welch's bad hair didn't hamper her dusky luxurious voice which turned clear and powerful on the Dylanesque "Wayside," and high-spirited and harmonious on the down-home rave-up "To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High)."

Throughout the evening, Welch and Rawlings dueted as one. It seemed that these two singers could feel each other, adjusting telepathically on their harmonies.

Janelle Monae
The Fillmore
Nov. 20, 2013

• Janelle Monae

I'm not sure if the crowd was lazy, tired or too busy taking video on their phones to participate, but throughout Monae's hour-and-45-minute set, her infectious energy just wasn't hitting people in full force. That's to `no fault of the 27-year-old R&B singer. Monae puts on a show in every sense of the word.

Hanson
Amos' Southend
Nov. 20, 2013

Going to Hanson's show at Amos' Southend on Nov. 20, 2013, felt like entering a time warp back to 1997. The only thing different, in fact, would be that the screaming teenage girls have turned into screaming adults who have dragged their husbands along for the ride.

The best part? Those "dragged" husbands usually catch the hysteria in the room the moment Hanson begins its concert. Nowhere else will you see so many straight men dancing and screaming for other men - maybe at a football game.

What immediately comes to most people's mind when you say "Hanson" is one of two things - "Those 'MMMbop' guys?" or "They're still together?" Because they are brothers, breaking up would never be a smart career move, but let the masses think what they will.

Nevertheless, people who immediately judge them based on one poppy, infectious hit from 1997 (that some of them still listen to as a guilty pleasure) are the same reason Hanson is one of the most underrated bands performing today.

Despite being grown family men in their late 20s and 30s and having released six incredibly diverse albums since that dreaded "MMMbop" phase, Hanson still isn't in the public eye.

Galactic w/ Maggie Koerner
The Fillmore
Nov. 7, 2013

• Maggie Koerner and Galactic's Robert Mercurio.

That's not to say the music of the New Orleans band is anything to brush aside - drummer Stanton Moore, bassist Robert Mercurio, guitarist Jeff Raines, organist Richard Vogel and sax player Ben Ellman were stellar in their performance, bringing plenty of grooves and jams to the few hundred in attendance. But it was Koerner who garnered the most attention.

Michael Franti & Spearhead
The Fillmore
Nov. 10, 2013

• Michael Franti

That's clear when Franti sings about love, when he asks, "How ya feelin?!" and when he shares a personal anecdote about growing up as an adopted child. "We were told to receive everyone as we would want to be received - regardless of their background, race or what school they went to," Franti told the crowd Sunday night. It's a message of positivity that persisted throughout Franti's 90-minute concert at the Fillmore.

Constantly jumping up and down while performing, Franti's energy is infectious as a good portion of the half-full Fillmore sang and danced along to every word. His guitar strap was emblazoned with the words "Stay Human" and, if you know the back story, he's been barefoot for more than a dozen years - until the people who make shoes can afford to buy them.