Concert Reviews

Seven years later, Bingham shouldn't stay away

June 3, 2026 - Ryan Bingham hasn't exactly been overly active musically. He finally released "They Call Us the Lucky Ones," his first record in seven years (!) with The Texas Gentlemen backing him up a few weeks ago. That same configuration showed up for an evening that found Bingham to be a man of ...

Prince's time has come

May 31, 2026 - William Prince may be better known in his native Canada than he is stateside, but with outings like this, the singer may find his profile changing. Prince, who pursues folk, country and Americana sounds, is a two-time Juno Awards winner (the Canadian Grammys). The 40-year-old singer has a chance to go ...

Teen girls may embrace Myers, but the music really matters more

May 28, 2026 - If you didn't know anything about Ty Myers before stepping into the waterfront outdoor venue, you'd conjecture that the 18-year-old Austin native was a teen (country) pop heartthrob based on the sold-out crowd. That would be an overwhelming throng of teen girls either decked out in some ...

Cat Clyde finds size doesn't matter

May 19, 2026 - Cat Clyde, the multi-genre singer from Canada, apparently was quite skeptical before she set foot on the stage at the sold-out, venerable music club. Clyde (given name Caitlyn Blockeel) said more than once voiced skepticism about the venue. "I'm not used to people sitting," she told the ...

Cat Clyde proves solid (albeit not so chatty)

May 14, 2026 - Canadian singer Cat Clyde made her way back to the stage after a three-week break following a tour in Europe. Though not very chatty, she played a clean show, and the audience clearly had a good time. Clyde's performance mainly centered on her newest release, the 11-track album "Mud Blood ...

Straight from the comfort of their "living room," The Head and the Heart

May 14, 2026 - The couch, lamps, books, record albums (Loudon Wainwright III's "T Shirt" and Crosby/Nash "Wind on the Winter"), plants and lots more stuff sent the message that indie folk band The Head and the Heart were inviting fans into their living room for a night of music. ...

Rich forges on

May 9, 2026 - Tyler Rich goes the independent route these days after a stint on Valory where his biggest hit was "Leave Her Wild." Now, he does it his way. To his credit, Rich continues to put out music and also hits the road. Massachusetts is home of sorts for the California native because his wife grew up here. ...

The Paper Kites understandably grow bigger

May 7, 2026 - At the end of the night, The Paper Kites' lead singer Sam Bentley said that the band seems to gained more and more fans in the Boston since they started playing here at Brighton Music Hall. It'd be easy to take Bentley at his word, and it would also be even easier to understand why the ...

Blevins is all dressed up and ready to go

May 5, 2026 - Leah Blevins sings country music, but don't confuse her with any of the pop-based country music coming out of Nashville. That was true after hearing her new record, "All Dressed Up" on Easy Eye Sound, the label started by Dan Auerbach of Black Keys fame, and in concert with her throwback sound. ...

Kennedy rises above in powerful night

May 4, 2026 - Life has not been easy for Bre Kennedy. She made that abundantly clear during her heart-on-her sleeve performance. If you didn't know anything about the Utah native who now lives in Nashville before you walked through the doors, you'd know perhaps more than you wanted. What you learned was ...

MerleFest day 4: Alison Krauss and Union Station bring the magic

April 26, 2026 - The final day of MerleFest 2026 featured a headline performance from Allison Krause and Union Station, plus both newcomers and veterans on the main stages. Jim Lauderdale is another artist who makes MerleFest home every year, and he had already offered up several sets throughout the weekend, so his ...

Merlefest day 3: DUG, Blackberry Smoke, Rose, Bush impress

April 25, 2026 - Southern rockers Blackberry Smoke, bluegrass legend and perennial MerleFest performer Sam Bush and mellow jam rockers Railroad Earth were among the acts headlining day three of MerleFest. The daytime, however, was highlighted by some excellent folk, bluegrass and country. One of the best surprises of ...

MerleFest day 2: Tuttle, Old Crow, The Band Loula bring highlight the action

April 24, 2026 - Friday was the first full day for MerleFest with 12 hours of music across a dozen stages. It's impossible to see every artist, even with some playing multiple times over the weekend, but there were a lot of highlights from the day. Shelby Means played early, opening the Hillside stage with her ...

MerleFest day 1: Godwin, Infamous Stringdusters highlight opening day

April 23, 2026 - MerleFest Thursday The 38th annual MerleFest kicked off with headline performances by Charles Wesley Godwin and the Infamous Stringdusters, the first of four days where the campus of Wilkes Community College is transformed into a "Traditional plus" weekend. Founded by Doc Watson in the ...

From start to finish, Andrews' confidence is well placed

April 22, 2026 - To say that Courtney Marie Andrews has confidence in her excellent new album, "Valentine," would be an understatement. After all, when you play all 10 songs from an album in order from the start of the show, you sure better stand behind your music. That may sound like a big ask, but when ...

Clark, McKenna need more music, less talk

April 15, 2026 - The evening with Brandi Clark and her special guest was Lori McKenna was billed as "Art of the Storyteller," a night of conversation and music. That wasn't totally false advertising, but pretty darn close. In the course of 2 ¼-hours, Clark and McKenna played maybe half a dozen songs. ...