Sweet Tones in Monochrome: Caitlin Canty & Annie Lynch at Higher Ground 3/7/2026
I can’t tell you the last time I went to a concert with a camera in my hand. Things have happened in life that have, demotivated me lets say, from engaging with that creative aspect of my being for quite some time, but I digress. In heading to a show at Higher Ground with two of my all time favorite songwriters and voices in the realm of “folk, Americana, what have you” sharing the bill, I thought “sure, I’ll toss a camera and one lens in tow and see what happens.”
I hadn’t seen Annie Lynch on a stage singing her songs for I don’t know how long. But from the moment she stepped onto the stage and opened her mouth to sing I was immediately reminded, transported back to quiet moments in the crimson glow of the Lizard Lounge or Cafe 939 or Passim seeing her weave her tales in my early days back living in Boston after college (and even before Red Line Roots existed). There is such a magic to her approach to performance and her songs. Her voice an anomaly. Delicate and entrancing, but with a wide , forceful range and ability to pull emotion from the listener in such a way that is uncanny. A very quick set with mostly newer songs, she brought out Caitlin around midway for a devastatingly beautiful duet of their co-written “Wild Heart”, which Caitlin has previously released on a record. The intertwining of their two voices, mesmerizing. I only hope this runs of shows means more of Annie back out there performing and recording her work, in whatever form that takes.
From the first chord that Caitlin Canty and her band took the stage you could tell they were revved up and ready from the previous string of shows. Totally locked and firing on all cylinders. The moment she launched into “Hotter than Hell” off of her latest release, the pure joy and emotive fire that pours from her being on a stage playing these songs with her band cascaded over the audience. Inviting us all to be a part of something truly special. That song in particular and her performance of it makes it so very evident that she truly belongs and thrives on a stage singing her songs.
Watching Jeff Berlin not just play the drums, but color each and every song with his own unique percussive take (and choice of various striking instruments laid out on a chair next to him), the pure vibe and steadfast nature of Jeremy Moses Curtis‘s bass playing acting as the glue to hold the rhythm together and Will Seeders jumping from pedal steel, to banjo and back again throughout the evening, adding the necessary layers to really make these live arrangements soar. This band is prime and truly elevates these songs in a brilliant way and hearing them in this orchestration
“Where Is the Heart of My Country” hit especially hard. With a weighty candor and authenticity, Canty striking the chords a little harder with each refrain and begging the question of what exactly is going on in the world these days. It was as fuckin’ powerful as anything I have seen in concert in recent memory.
By the time she kicked the band off stage for a tune, the reprieve of “Wore Your Ring”, coming with some backstory and banter, was a perfect ebb to the flow of the evening thus far. Even without the backing of the full band, her voice shimmers brighter than the stage lights and she commands the ability to hush a crowd beautifully.
The band back, Annie Lynch making another appearance and an old favorite in “Get Up” and a new favorite “Electric Guitar” coming into the fold tied the evening up neatly as Canty joked that us Vermonters hear “we have two songs left” and are already waiting to warm up the car, get home to tend the wood stove and get into bed.
It’s evenings like this that remind me why I love music and why it has held such an important part of my own life. The collective experience of enjoying beautiful, captivating, REAL songs in a setting with others. I left that evening with a renewed inspiration for my own work, writing and filming, and I think thats probably about the best compliment you can give to another artist.
