Waddling Along to Vampire Weekend

Rebekah and I braved thunderstorms and tornado watches on Saturday to catch Vampire Weekend in concert at Cincinnati’s PNC Pavilion at Riverbend. Vampire Weekend was one of the first emerging indie acts that I covered for the now-defunct PAUSE Culture Magazine. After writing about the impending release of their first album, I caught them in concert in the garage performance space at Cincinnati’s also-now-defunct Gypsy Hut (currently the Northside Yacht Club) in 2008. A lot has changed since that small 2008 club gig, obviously, and the band that emerged on stage this weekend was nearly twice the size of the original Vampire Weekend quartet. Continue reading Waddling Along to Vampire Weekend

Hikes, Tunes

Gregory Alan Isakov Graces the Underground

Last May, my wife and I spent a few days camping at Mammoth Cave National Park before heading to Nashville to catch Fleet Foxes in concert at the Ryman. During one of our caving tours, a park ranger told us about another (somewhat) nearby cave in Tennessee that served as a music venue. One year later and we finally had a chance to check out that unlikely concert space – formally known as The Caverns – for a taping of the PBS program Bluegrass Underground featuring one of my absolute favorites: Gregory Alan Isakov. Continue reading Gregory Alan Isakov Graces the Underground

Tunes

Besting the Revelation Blues With The Tallest Man On Earth

Kristian Matsson, the Swedish folk singer-songwriter better known as The Tallest Man On Earth, has been an absolute favorite of mine since I first heard the title track from his sophomore album The Wild Hunt nearly a decade ago. It wasn’t until 2016’s Nelsonville Music Festival that I finally got a chance to see The Tallest Man on Earth in concert, though. That summer, Matsson was touring with a full band in support of Dark Bird Is Home and he played a tremendous set at Nelsonville. Continue reading Besting the Revelation Blues With The Tallest Man On Earth

Tunes

Spring Beckons With Bon Iver

Bon Iver’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it spring 2019 tour passed through Cincinnati on March 31st and the show provided the perfect opportunity to bid bon voyage to a hard winter. Despite occupying space in my record collection for over a decade, this was the first time that I’ve actually seen Justin Vernon and company in concert. Continue reading Spring Beckons With Bon Iver

Tunes

Sharon And Chi-Town

My wife and I just got back from a quick trip to Chicago to catch the incomparable Sharon Van Etten in concert at Thalia Hall. I first encountered Van Etten’s music about a decade ago during the release cycle for her second studio album, Epic. I was working as a music journalist at the time and that LP’s hypnotic standout track “One Day” had become one of my favorite songs of the year. Continue reading Sharon And Chi-Town

Tunes

Top Tunes for 2018

Thanks to the technological wonder known as Spotify, I have an entire year boiled down to roughly seven hours of … Continue reading Top Tunes for 2018