Andrew Marlin Announces December Instrumental Band Run Music Features by Brian Carroll - November 8, 2021November 8, 20210 Andrew Marlin was able to take his instrumental band on a short run over the summer and I was lucky enough to catch the fellas at our Billsville bud's house concert series. Even in normal times when you could be heading to a show every night of the week it would have been a magical evening of music, but the fierceness and joy they brought to the performance gave so much an audience that was all in for living in that moment. They were on fire and Marlin will reignite those flames as he just announced a December run back to New England with his band in early to mid December. They will again be hitting Vermont along with Western Mass,
Peep This: Hayes Carll “Help Me Remember” Music Features Reviews by Brian Carroll - October 14, 2021October 14, 20210 "The leaves on that ancient old oak tree are starting to turn / and the same shades as the flames of this fire that I'm watching burn" We all have our people. Our songwriters. Those that inspired us to listen to the next song more deeply or pick up paper and pen and write down the lyrics to the next song. Hayes Carll has long been one of those few for me. The natural crack and breaks in his voice that echo with a power, a rawness and a vulnerability that can crush you with a single line. There is a beauty that lives in the simplicity of how a turn of phrase can emote and force so much emotion into your consciousness
Club Passim Returns With Labor Day campfire. festival Music Features by Brian Carroll - August 31, 20210 Club Passim's campfire. festival is literally the best bang for your buck that exists when it comes to experiencing live music, discovering new favorite artists and helping to be a part of and foster community within the arts. I have been lucky enough to sit on both sides of the event over the years. Both on stage and off. Getting to collaborate in songwriting rounds with folks I admire and experiencing new (to me) bands that ended up long lasting favorites of mine. But don't take my word for it. A quick look at the schedule for this year's event displays old standards in the campfire line ups along with exciting new talent. More from Passim about the event below: (Cambridge, MA) Club Passim’s
Sunday at Green River Festival 2021 (Gallery) Festivals Music Features by Brian Carroll - August 30, 2021August 30, 20210 My live music experiences for the past year (or ~3 months since things started somewhat opening back up again) have been limited to small gatherings, local farm dinners, distanced outdoor events under giant tents. Heading to a music festival again certainly came with its reservations, but after being within the gates of Green River Fest for a few moments it was clear that the majority of festival goers, vendors and staff alike were doing their best to press forward with cautious optimism. Masks were aplenty. The staff and volunteers, in particular, from those at the gate to the folks carting artists around donning masks and maintaining safe distances. The new location at the Franklin County Fairgrounds allowing ample space to spread
Show You Should Know: The Faux Paws @ Club Passim (8/30) Music Features by Brian Carroll - August 27, 20210 "From raging fiddle tunes, to saxophone solos and unrequited love songs, the music of The Faux Paws would be hard to pin down with standard genre descriptions. The trio’s contagious groove, and feel-good melting pot folk music has been honed over ten years of playing together, and is the sound of three close friends (two of which happen to be brothers), who feel a musical kinship that transcends any stylistic limitations. Now, after nearly a decade of music making, the bi-coastal trio are releasing their self-titled debut album The Faux Paws." I could have just gone and said "you had me at raging fiddle tunes", but in digging deeper to the trios catalogue there truly is so much more to the
Peep This: The Old North “Southbound” Stone Cow Live Session Music Features by Brian Carroll - August 19, 2021August 19, 20210 The Old North is a New England folk band made up of singer/songwriter Andrew O'Keeffe, Hayes Cummings on lead guitar, and Max Liebman on bass. There is something raw, yet refined, about The Old North's approach to music. The swing and vibe of "Southbound" has a dancing feel, hints of Brown Bird in the throbbing rhythm, but Andrew O'Keeffe's whispy, gravely voice stands out high above the mix as its own thing. He tells us of the track, ""I love songs that tell a good story. Something I enjoy in the Americana tradition is the use of certain songwriting cliches like trains, booze, drifters, outlaws, etc. I think it's a fun exercise to use those classic ideas as starting points
FreshGrass Announces Finalists for FreshGrass Awards Festivals Music Features by Brian Carroll - August 6, 20210 Each and every year I attend FreshGrass Festival one thing is for certain, I am going to walk away seeing/hearing great music and much of that great music is coming from artists that I have just discovered that very weekend. Whether its during the actual competitions, catching the band who took home the prize the previous year on their main stage debut, the court yard stage or deep in the cavernous halls of Mass MoCa for pop up sets, there is no shortage of new and exciting talent reverberating off of the walls of the festival. A big part of that is because of the very nature and core values that the promoters hold dear. That being to present the
A Jubilant Sound : 10 Years of Ear Trumpet Labs Music Features by Brian Carroll - August 3, 2021August 4, 20210 I can personally say that my creative life has changed exponentially (positively) due to the wonderful folks at Ear Trumpet Labs . When I first started filming The Old Spruce Sessions and later on doing similar work specifically for artists or festivals I had a (insert different brand) condenser mic that always just got TOO much air noise or ambiance to the point when it was no longer ambiance, it was just noise that distracted from the performance of the artists I was filming and recording. Edwina showed up on a stage at a Milk Carton Kids show many years ago and I was, of course, immediately drawn to the aesthetic and look it provided on stage, but more importantly how
Signature Sounds Presents : Back Porch Bluegrass Festival on Sunday, August 15th Music Features by Brian Carroll - July 30, 2021July 30, 20210 Music seems to be making its triumphant return. From small concert series, to continuing trends of outdoor and cautious larger gatherings, it seems we are in the process of finally bouncing back...so it comes as a welcome surprise to hear of the very first Back Porch Bluegrass Festival from our friends at Signature Sounds. While the festival is just a one day, 6 hour event and may seem like a smaller scale "show" in the realm of festivals, the line up is anything but. From longtime legend Del McCoury to those becoming modern day legends like Sierra Hull and Justin Moses and highlighting great local acts Mamma's Marmalade, the label of bluegrass really has something for all music lovers these days.
Freshgrass (September 24-26) Announces Single Day ticket sales Music Features by Brian Carroll - July 30, 20210 With only two months until Freshgrass is upon us and another mainstay New England festival sees the light after a very difficult year and a half for the arts (understatement of the century), the Mass MoCa based fest is rolling out day tickets for those who cannot commit to the full weekend. You'd be hard pressed to find a more unique musical event than Freshgrass. With an ever present family and community vibe, multiple stages, pop up performances in its vast halls of visual art and so much more, its a destination that all music lovers should experience at least once (if not every single year). We can't simply say "you should go on such and such a day", but here's a