Delta Spirit @ Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto
April 4th 2022 - Delta Spirit, Palm Palm @ Horseshoe Tavern - Toronto
Delta Spirit in Toronto - Photos Courtesy of Jenn Kostesky
Delta Spirit hit the stage at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern on Toronto’s bustling Queen St. West April 4th for a show 2 years in the making. The band was in the midst of a reunion tour in spring of 2020 when, like so many others, they were forced to pump the breaks and return home and wait out the global pandemic. Over the course of the following months the band released their most recent album What is There, and have since announced One is One due out May 20th on New West Records.
A palpable excitement in the air in the room of the only Canadian date on Delta Spirit’s spring tour. The set opened with “From Now On” from 2014’s into the wide and went on to span their entire discography, with every song turning into a sing along with the enthusiastic Monday night crowd. Mindset the sweet smell of incense filled the room making it feel more like watching your buddies jam in their living room rather than a well worn venue in a busy city. Being mid tour, the band was tight and fine tuned, yet loose and relaxed having clearly shaken off any rust that may have settled in during their hiatus and following lockdowns. The evening wrapped up with an extended jammed out version of “Trashcan” with everyone in the house shouting along with the band.
Delta Spirit wraps up the Eastern leg of their spring run in North Charleston before for heading West through Colorado, Washington and California in May.
J. Roddy Walston’s new project Palm Palm brought a 40 (ish) minute set of no bullshit rock and roll to open the night.
Palm Palm
Adia Victoria with Lizzie No @ Zanzabar - Louisville, KY
Adia Victoria with Lizzie No @ Zanzabar - Louisville, KY
Words and Photos Courtesy of Emily May
Nashville-based artist Adia Victoria brought her current tour to Louisville recently, performing at the cozy and intimate venue Zanzabar! Always drawing a great crowd when she performs in Louisville, this evening was no different. Opening the show this evening was New Jersey singer/songwriter/harpist/guitarist Lizzie No. There is something so powerful in the simplicity of a singer on stage with just her guitar, her harp, and her voice, and she had the crowd silent in rapt attention as she sang. It was apparent to me from her first song that she is a storyteller, weaving songs about her family, fun things like taking a much needed vacation, her love of Mythology with her song “Narcissus”, and more serious social justice issues surrounding Black lives, such as “Killing Season”, about white peoples’ insatiable urge to come after Black people, and “Sundown”, a benefit track she wrote for Black Lives Matter. Along with having songs that tell stories, Lizzie No has a great sense of humor and chatted a lot with the crowd between songs. Talking about a song of hers that was the closest thing she had to a love song, she told the crowd how people had told her that they danced to it at their wedding. Making a jokingly cringy face, as her relationship with this person didn’t work out, she said that art is in the ear of the beholder and joked that she would be happy to attend peoples’ weddings…not to sing, but to judge for herself whether or not the relationship would work out, which got quite a few laughs! She took a moment during the set to talk about how happy she was to be out on the road with Adia Victoria, whom she considers a hero of hers. She put on a fun and incredible set and I have no doubt she made many new fans this evening!
Next up was Adia Victoria, who is a force to be reckoned with on stage. Having recently released her incredible new album Southern Gothic, she and her band performed many songs off of the album this evening. Starting things off with “Dixie”, Adia truly feels the music as she sings, moving her body with the music and staring out at the crowd with wild eyes and stomping feet. Telling a story about her signature red boots, she told the crowd how she loos down a lot when singing the blues and that her grandmother bought her her signature red boots so she would have something pretty to look at and remember her power. Also mentioning the pearls she was wearing on stage, she talked about how she was told it’s ok to curse, just as long as you look like a lady while you do it! She then asked if someone who works at the venue could bring her a shot of bourbon, since she was after all in Louisville! She talked quite a bit throughout the evening, telling the stories behind her songs and joking with the crowd, making for both a serious and lighthearted set. If there is one thing that is very apparent at an Adia Victoria show, it is how much she loves the Blues. She talked a bit about her love for the Blues and how with the Blues, nothing is off limits or taboo. It lets us see all of the parts of ourselves…the parts beneath the surface that aren’t fine and that it is ok to not be fine. She went onto say, “If anyone else in the crowd is a Christian school survivor, I see you”, before launching into “Whole World Knows”.
About halfway through the set, she did a cover of the 1940 blues song “Parchman Farm”, originally by Blues singer Bukka White, in the style of Bobbie Gentry, one of her musical icons. Telling the crowd how she loves being from the south (South Carolina), she said how people in the south know how to tell stories and turn sad shit into gold. She later talked about how the tour is called the “Ain’t Killed Me Yet Tour” and how women like Nina Simone and Fiona Apple taught her that her life is hers and the only thing she can count on and that as long as she continues to be present in each moment that she’s not done yet. She went onto to talk about growing up in the evangelical church and how it messed with her head and made people scared of death, but taught that if you are good you can go to heaven and fly around in the clouds. She re-enforced her loves for the blues, in that the Blues made it comfortable to talk about death, that her pleasures and flesh were hers. She went onto perform an old Blues cover of the 1933 song “You Was Born To Die”, paying homage to her southern Black ancestors. Ending her set with the only song she released in 2020, “South Gotta Change”, it was a song she says she wrote in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and the death of John Lewis. In speaking truth to power, she said she wrote the song to open her mouth and speak her truth, and that nothing changes unless we make it and how it’s time to start telling the truth, the ugly truth. After leaving the stage briefly, Adia came back out by herself to sing one more song, a song she said a woman must sing by herself. She talked about being a French major in college and studying abroad for a bit in Paris, spending the summer there working on her French and hanging out with French men. When she returned home, she found that when it came to men and women sowing their wild oats, women get shamed but that she wasn’t going to play that game. She talked about how she had fun in Paris and was not ashamed. She dedicated her final song of the night, “Heathen”, to all of the women out there who know they have the right to bodily autonomy. It was a great night of music, laughs, and storytelling that had the crowd engaged throughout both artists’ sets! A magical night indeed!
LIZZIE NO
ADIA VICTORIA
Shovels & Rope @ The Axis Club - Toronto
April 4th 2022 - Shovels & Rope, Jeremie Albino @ The Axis Club - Toronto
Shovels & Rope in Toronto - Photos Courtesy of Jenn Kostesky
Charleston based Americana power couple Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent, known musically as Shovels & Rope, paid a visit to Toronto’s The Axis Club April 3 2022. The stop fell roughly midway through the duo’s tour in support of their latest LP Manticore, released February 18 via Dualtone Records.
As they are wont to do, the couple floated between instruments with each taking a turn on guitar, drums and piano. The 18 song set leaned heavily on material from Manticore as well as the couple’s first album under the moniker Shovels & Rope, O’ Be Joyful, which is celebrating a decade since its release. The couple offered up some quieter, more subdued moments throughout the set, “The Show”, “Shank Hill St.”, and “Bleed Me”, highlighting their passionate harmonies. Fan favorites “O’ Be Joyful”, “Birmingham”, “The Wire”, and ragtime inspired, piano driven version of “Ohio” had the welcoming crowd singing along with every word. Wrapping up their Sunday night set with heavy hitters “I’m Coming Out”, “Hail, Hail” and “Domino”, Shovels & Rope returned took to the stage for a 2 song encore of “Happy Birthday Who” and the Beach Boy’s “In My Room” to wind down the evening.
Toronto’s own Jeremie Albino opened the night with a solo set armed only with a guitar, harmonica and kick drum. The songwriter, who is accompanying Shovels & Rope on their North American tour, is hot off the release of his latest EP Past Dawn.
The Manticore North American tour continues through April 16 before heading to Europe in June.
Jeremie Albino
Wolf Alice @ Stage AE - Pittsburgh
April 1st 2022: Wolf Alice with Charlie Hickey @ Stage AE - Pittsburgh
Glass Animals in Washington DC - Photos Courtesy of Gabby Ames
Wolf Alice went on their second US headline tour for their recent album Blue Weekend. They played a sold out show at Stage AE in Pittsburgh, with support from Charlie Hickey. The venue had a very intimate feeling which made it easier for the band to interact with the audience during the set. Bringing in the emotions with No Hard Feelings and showing angst with Play The Greatest Hits, it was definitely a show to remember.
Charlie Hickey
Glass Animals @ The Anthem - Washington DC
March 29th 2022: Glass Animals with Sad Night Dynamite @ The Anthem - Washington DC
Glass Animals in Washington DC - Photos Courtesy of Gabby Ames
On March 29th, Glass Animals brought all the energy to Washington DC on their first of two sold out shows. They played songs from their first album ZABA as well as their more recent album Dreamland. With an incredible set design that brought the cover of Dreamland to life, they finished off the night playing their hit “Heat Waves”.
Sad Night Dynamite
Together Pangea @ Cobra Lounge - Chicago
Together Pangea with Sad Park + Skating Polly @ Cobra Lounge - Chicago
Together Pangea in Chicago - Photos Courtesy of Kaitlyn Johnston
Together Pangea brought their brand of loud indie punk to a sold-out crowd at Cobra Lounge on Easter weekend. Saturday’s crowd showed up early, and in a big way. The lineup for this leg of the tour seemed to be catered perfectly for Together Pangea’s die-hards to find their new favorite bands. Opening the evening was Sad Park - a young band reminiscent of if emo sweethearts Prince Daddy & the Hyena lost their hard exterior and focused on being a more palatable, radio-ready version of their best attributes. Following was Skating Polly - a band so dynamic and diverse musically that there was no time to lose interest in their 45 min set. With loads of punk energy and loud, saturated bass lines - Skating Polly took charge of the stage and claimed it as their own. Both openers did an excellent job of setting up the evening for Together Pangea. The band took the stage, and from the first note, the room exploded with energy. The California veterans tore through 19 songs quickly and without a wasted moment and left the room wanting more.
Sad Park
Skating Polly
Geographer @ Sleeping Village - Chicago
March 29th 2022: Geographer with Chong the Nomad @ Sleeping Village - Chicago
You’d never know it from the low-key exterior of Sleeping Village in Chicago, but on the evening of March 29, the inside of the venue was a glow. Geographer and Chong The Nomad as support came through with some of the best live sets I’ve ever seen.
Chong The Nomad is a name you must keep on your radar as an ethereal vocalist and jaw-droppingly talented electronic producer. Her music forces you to dance- you just can’t help it. While the crowd was small during her opening set, she performed as if it were for a festival of thousands and danced around the stage often forgetting about her own sprained ankle she mentioned at the start of her set.
The drummer and lead vocalist duo that made up Geographer’s live show also provided a beautiful performance of light and color, both sonically and visually. While simple, their production of neon glowing beams behind them set up their show for greatness, and even with just two artists gracing the stage, their presence was massive. Geographers’ sound builds within each of their individual songs but also builds throughout their set, reaching anthem-level energy even within such a small space.
The Geographer and Chong The Nomad tour wraps up this week with dates in El Paso and Tucson, and I definitely look forward to what’s to come from both of these artists.
Chong the Nomad
Matt Maltese @ Beat Kitchen - Chicago
March 27th 2022: Matt Maltese with Girl Puppy @ Beat Kitchen - Chicago
Matt Maltese - Photos Courtesy of Alana Swaringen
Matt Maltese hosted his sold-out Chicago show on March 27th at Beat Kitchen, with Girlpuppy as his support. The combination of these artists on this bill was a perfect setup, as both provide a very haunting and intimate sound but in entirely different ways. Girlpuppy gave a dreamy and melodic intro to the evening and while her soft grunge aesthetic contrasts Matt Maltese’s sound, her performance was what was needed to get the night started.
Upon reflection, this evening really caught me by surprise- Maltese’s committed fans waited outside long before doors opened, and were passionate about nailing that perfect spot to see the talented piano player and singer. What was surprising was as a performer who’s seated during his entire set, Maltese can only provide so much crowd interaction that the appeal of being close to him didn’t seem to cross my mind. But once his show began, I understood the captivation that his sound provides, the sonic energy that just pulls you in and makes you want to do anything to catch a glimpse of him moving his fingers across the piano keys. Maltese also had no lack of crowd interaction whatsoever, constantly checking in on his audience and cracking jokes. Maltese’s haunting and emotionally fueled ballads were balanced with intertwined humor. It was clear that almost everyone in the room was both moved and entertained.
Matt Maltese just completed his US run and will continue some touring in the Uk and Europe when the fall rolls around. To hold us over until we can see him live once again, check out his recent 5 song EP drop “Quiet Recordings” out now.
Girl Puppy
