Singer Songwriters

Latest Articles

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds | Expanded Collectors Editions | Let Love In | Murder Ballads | The Boatman's Call | No More Shall We Part

Mute/EMI (2011)
The four classic albums that Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds released between 1994 and 2001 served as a crucial transition.
By ZETH LUNDY | May 12, 2011

One night, one jazz trifecta

Taylor Eigsti, the October Trio, and the BC Quintet
True, there aren't enough paying gigs for musicians, but the live music is out there — and last Wednesday, I had to scramble to make three promising shows.
By JON GARELICK | June 29, 2010

Creature feature

Stay up late for Clara Berry
While much of Clara Berry’s new EP, Creature , is alluring and captivating, the first 45 seconds of her “Siren” might be the best 45 seconds recorded this year.
By SAM PFEIFLE | June 24, 2010

Photos: Providence Best Music Poll Awards at Lupo's

Providence BMP Awards Concert at Lupo's | June 9, 2010
Bands perform and get their BMP awards from the Phoenix at Lupo's.
By RICHARD MCCAFFREY | June 11, 2010

Master crafters

The National come back from the drawing board
In a perfect world, a great moment in music would come accompanied by a sense of grace, as if it had traveled far and long to reach you here and now. In short: great art is often the product of a lot of work — and work isn’t all that exciting.
By DANIEL BROCKMAN | May 28, 2010

Talking ’bout a revolution

The Gamm’s life-affirming Rock ’n’ Roll
It takes a theatrical genius like Tom Stoppard to come up with Rock ’n’ Roll, which merges the pulsing spirit of both until they feel like one. And it takes a theater of the caliber of the Gamm to make history feel like a Stones concert that becomes a political rally.
By BILL RODRIGUEZ | May 05, 2010

Twisted sister

Perishable’s knockout Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Wow. An explosive performance could be anticipated, since Hedwig and the Angry Inch is the story of an anguished life transformation.
By BILL RODRIGUEZ | April 21, 2010

Mood swings

Chris Pureka makes highs out of lows
There’s nothing like getting socked in the head with a big fat metaphor — and if it’s carried along by some solid guitar playing, so much the better.
By JONATHAN DONALDSON | April 06, 2010

Breakfast of champions

Slipping into Surprise Me Mr. Davis
The Slip have been a fixture on the jam band scene for 15 years. Over the past six years, the Slip’s core members — bassist Marc Friedman, guitarist Brad Barr, and his brother Andrew behind the kit — along with pianist Marco Benevento and singer/songwriter Nathan Moore occasionally whip up a little something on the side they like to call Surprise Me Mr. Davis.
By CHRIS CONTI | April 08, 2010

Shows in town this week

As much of this as you can!
A packed weekend of great local talent is on hand.
By PROVIDENCE PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF | April 08, 2010

Interview: Hilary Hahn

No strings
"Just because I play classical music doesn't mean I am classical music."
By JON GARELICK | March 11, 2010

Jew note

First Annual Boston Jewish Music Festival, plus the Klezmatics
Defining "Jewish" music is pretty much a fool's task — not much easier than defining jazz.
By JON GARELICK | February 25, 2010

Review: El Perro Del Mar at the Brattle

El Perro Del Mar and Taken by Trees, live at the Brattle Theatre, February 19, 2010
Sharing a bill, a backing band, and the cramped stage of the Brattle Theatre last Friday, two Swedish singer-songwriters turned it up to the world-music equivalent of 11 for an audience that, for the most part, refused to dance.
By EUGENIA WILLIAMSON | February 24, 2010

Review: Tegan and Sara at the Orpheum

Tegan and Sara, live at the Orpheum, February 13, 2010
Considering that it was Valentine's Day eve and identical twins Tegan and Sara are currently the indie pop darlings of the gay world, one would expect to find a whole lot of grrrl power flowing at the Orpheum last Saturday night.
By ALEXANDRA CAVALLO | February 18, 2010

Behind the Red Curtain

Performance Outlook
On Saturday, four singer/songwriters will perform "in the round" at the North Star. Nothing necessarily unusual about that.
By SAM PFEIFLE | January 13, 2010

Local luminaries’ picks

A sample of other best songs of the 2000s
I asked a bunch of people who really dig local music to help me make sure I wasn’t leaving any songs out when I was developing my list of the best 10 songs of the 2000s, but then I quickly realized that “best” is about as subjective as things come when you’re talking about songs.
By SAM PFEIFLE | December 22, 2009

Group hug

The crooked folk of Cuddle Magic
Things aren’t always what they’re called — we know that flying fish don’t fly and starfish aren’t even fish.
By JONATHAN DONALDSON | December 15, 2009

Miss Tess | Darling, Oh Darling

Self-released (2009)
Boston singer-songwriter Miss Tess has always had the pipes and the taste to carry off her various ventures into country, blues, and multi-hued swing, but Darling, Oh Darling underlines her overall sound.
By JON GARELICK | December 02, 2009

Bio beware

Elvis Perkins clears up his cloudy ballads
Elvis Perkins has got a backstory on him.
By REYAN ALI | November 24, 2009

Erik Deutsch | Hush Money

Hammer and String
Having played in projects from jam bands to jazz and as a singer-songwriter accompanist, keyboardist Erik Deutsch led an acoustic jazz album for his debut.
By JON GARELICK | November 25, 2009

Running with the Devil

Making a connection with Brown Bird
The surge of locally-harvested folk/roots/Americana acts flourishing in Rhode Island continues.
By CHRIS CONTI | October 29, 2009

Full speed ahead

Riding high with the Sea Captains
The Sea Captains don't take themselves particularly seriously.
By SAM PFEIFLE | October 14, 2009

Review: Mirah at Somerville Theatre

At the Somerville Theatre, October 9, 2009
The mid-March release date of Portland-based singer/songwriter Mirah’s newest solo album, (A)spera , seemed ill fitting.
By CARRIE BATTAN | October 15, 2009

Lowe life

Nick Lowe on growing up and growing old in the music business
Nick Lowe is a rare creature, a punk rock founding father who has endured and evolved gracefully.
By MICHAEL ATCHISON | October 07, 2009

Doing what comes naturally

Tallahassee make timeless old town music on Wolfe Moon
Tallahassee make timeless old town music on Wolfe Moon
By CHRIS CONTI | September 22, 2009

Young love

Marie Moreshead proves she's the permanent kind
For a girl with such a professed affinity for monogamy, Marie Moreshead is a bit of a tease.
By SAM PFEIFLE | September 23, 2009

Taking care of business

Digging for gold in the roots and world-music scene
Boston is one of the healthiest markets for live roots music in the country. Here are the 10 roots shows we don't want to miss this fall.
By TED DROZDOWSKI | September 14, 2009

Pawtucket calling

Off the Couch
The long weekend starts THURSDAY (the 3rd) with a 7 pm set from local singer/songwriter GREG LATO at Hot Topic in Providence Place Mall. He's touring the region behind his recent full-length debut Monday Morning Breakdown .
By PROVIDENCE PHOENIX STAFF | September 02, 2009

Kollective soul

Kris Hansen's ever-evolving sound
Singer/songwriter Kris Hansen and longtime pal Bob Giusti certainly are no stranger to the local music scene, having played out and hosted scores of gigs and all-star, open-mic jam sessions for more than a dozen years as Kris Hansen's Left Hand Band, a tight-knit jazzy/folky-type trio. Their 08 self-titled debut (at CDbaby.com and iTunes) zigged and zagged across acoustic blues and roots-rock, with Hansen's pen celebrating a second chance at life after the Scituate native battled a near-fatal brain aneurysm on the eve of his 24th birthday, as well as Hansen, drummer Giusti, and bassist/engineer George Dussault all becoming dads during the recording process.
By CHRIS CONTI | August 12, 2009

Savath and Savalas | La Llama

Stones Throw (2009)
As Prefuse 73, Guillermo Scott Herren has spent the past decade supplying the ambient scene with his impeccable blend of jazz and folk, a series of gentle psychedelic records that's accorded him a respected place alongside fellow one-man-band conceptualists Kieran Hebden and Ben Chasny.
By GUSTAVO TURNER | July 07, 2009