Waxahatchee lays claim to Lucinda Williams’ legacy
The next Lucinda Williams? The one-time indie rocker-turned-Americana artist Katie Crutchfield who records as a solo artist under the name Waxahatchee has certainly professed her love for Williams. There was her guest essay in the New York Times commemorating the 20th anniversary of Williams’ pivotal Car Wheels on a Gravel Road album, one that Crutchfield calls her favorite album of all time and has had a profound impact on her life. There is the shared Southern lineage and love of poetry. There have also been the covers of Williams’ songs in her live shows introducing a whole new and younger audience to Williams’ work. Whereas she wears her love for Lu’s work on her sleeve, Crutchfield also continues to raise the bar with her own work as her new album called Tiger’s Blood clearly proves. It is a wonderful addition to her own canon and it receives the Ear Bliss love this week along with the debut solo album called Bright Future by Adrianne Lenker. The lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter of the revered band Big Thief, it is an album which will no doubt raise Lenker’s star in the music world. Let’s take a look.
Waxahatchee
Southerner much like Williams (Crutchfield was born and raised in Alabama right near the Waxahatchee Creek), Crutchfield returns with her latest album under the Waxahatchee moniker called Tiger’s Blood. After an initial listen, it’s easy to say it is bound to make her the darling of the Americana world. The album’s dozen songs were written mostly during 2022, a year of heavy touring for Crutchfield that made up for lost live time during Covid when her album Saint Cloud was released. The sound of the new Tiger’s Blood once again finds that sweet spot between folk rock, alt country, and indie rock with Crutchfield’s luminescent yelp at its heart. The songs are all born of the travails of Crutchfield’s own life experiences from the straight-up love song and first single from the album “Get Right Back To It” on which she duets in Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris style with guest vocalist/ guitarist MJ Lenderman to the beautifully bare bones “365” about the fight to beat addiction issues to the anthemic “Bored” which doubles as a great chunk of twang rock. Perhaps what is best about the songs of Tiger’s Blood are they strike chords in relatable ways, personal experience stuff that confronts us all and sung with plenty of heart and soul. Tiger’s Blood is a real good one. Recommended.
Waxahatchee performs at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston on April 26. Waxahatchee will also be at Tree House Brewing in Deerfield, MA on August 29.
Adrianne Lenker
Big Thief fame. The lead singer and principal songwriter for that revered indie folk-rock band, it created supreme anticipation for her solo album Bright Future which just saw release last week. Happy to report that the remainder of the album lives up to the quality of that early single from it. Lenker’s talent is on display right from the opening notes of Bright Future on the song “Real House.” Unadorned with only Lenker on vocals backed by the sparest of piano, it is part autobiographical beginning on a nostalgic note of cherished childhood dreams and memories to the loss of innocence as we transition to adults. It is also nothing short of a stop-you-in-yourtracks gut punch straight out of the gates before segueing to the aforementioned piece of singer/songwriter purity that is “Sadness as a Gift.” The album could stop right there and you might be fulfilled, but Lenker has plenty more to offer on the remaining 10 tunes. Working with co-producer and engineer Philip Weinrobe who helmed Lenker’s previous solo albums, Bright Future was recorded entirely in analog which gives it a warmth and breadth in sound not often found on the recordings these days. The instrumentation deployed is simple and understated with just piano, guitar, and violin from three of Lenker’s close musical friends, Nick Hakim, Mat Davidson, and Josephin Runsteen. The music is folk in all its purity from the spareness of “Evol” with only piano and violin to the rowdy hoedown of sorts that is “Vampire Empire” to “Candleflame” which is yet another stunner. The kicker of this latest solo effort is Lenker did not necessarily head into the studio with the intention of making an album, but instead more as a collaborative recording experiment which not long into it took on a life of its own resulting in what is now Bright Future. Says Lenker, “I had no idea what the outcome would be. It was magical.” Pure magic. Highly recommended. Visit www.adriannelenker.com.
Adrianne Lenker performs at the Newport Folk Festival on July 26. She will also be at the Academy of Music in Northampton, MA on November 11 and the Boch Center Shubert Theatre in Boston on November 12 and 13.
Spring is officially here! Go out and see some live music! Our weekly lists of some happenings in and around the Ocean State scene and beyond is right here. Starting South County, in Matunuck is great place to check out sunsets over the ocean and see music. Performing pop, rock, New Wave, R&B, and hairband hits,
is a complete live musical show dedicated to the pop culture of the 1980s. It touches down at The Mist on Saturday night. Don’t forget that every Thursday at The Mist is house band and friends from 6-9 pm. Stars of the iconic 1973 film Jesus Christ Superstar,
80s LIVE SHOTS: The Ocean Mist Total Eclipse of the The Ocean Mistics Yvonne Elliman and Ted Neeley, Greenwich Odeum
come to the
in East Greenwich for performances on both Saturday and Sunday nights. Queen tribute comes to the Odeum on April 5 and Americana outfit is there on April 19.
Almost Queen Dustbowl Revival Courthouse Center for the Arts
in West Kingston presents David Bowie tribute
Rebel
Adrianne Lenker on Saturday night.
which pays tribute to the music of Anne Wilson and Heart, is there on April 5 and Eric Clapton tribute performs on April 6. Pump
(164 Kingstown Road) in Peace Dale presents its monthly on Friday evening. Saturday night features
Rebel Heartless, House Music Works potluck open mic Prophet
performing the music of The Grateful Dead. Monday nights at the Pump House are the
and Tuesday evening is the weekly Wednesdays are an acoustic lounge and open mic hosted by
jam Matt Fraza. Narragansett Café Stone Cold Gypsies. Down City Band
The fills the dance floor on Saturday night and the
Neal McCarthy Problem
closes the weekend with a Sunday afternoon show at 4 pm. The in Wyo
Wood River Inn Dos Amigos Nick
ming presents on Friday evening and
on Saturday night. In Westerly, the
Casey Knickerbocker Music Center
in Westerly (35 Railroad Ave) hosts
Easy Bell Bottom Blues
in Jamestown features
Dela & Steady Rock
and their jazz-influenced reggae sounds on Friday night. and share the Knick bill on Saturday night. Next
Project Boys Underestimated Uke Old-time jam. Local Honey Soggy Po
up at the in Westerly is famed guitarist on April 5. Soul singer
Leo Kottke Lee Fields & The Monophonics
appear on April 12. To our North, in Woonsocket hosts
Chan’s Restaurant Popa Chubby’s Birthday Bash
on Friday favorite
Jeff Pitchell & Texas Flood
perform on Saturday night. The in Woonsocket presents Police tribute on
Theatre The Police Experience The Blackstone River Theatre Hubby
Saturday night.
an evening with
of Carolina Chocolate Drops fame on Saturday night. Coming on April 6 is the bluegrass sounds of
In Pawtucket, presents the high energy sounds of
on Sat
Jenkins Rock Hearts. The Met Café Crooked Coast Violin River
urday night. plays a free show at The Met on April 7 starting at 5 pm. on Chesnutt Street in Providence features with special guests
and on Friday night. Every Monday at Askew is
United Theatre Askew Will Dailey Aubrey Haddard Bethany Killian Meatball Mondays & Open Mic with Adam Newell
at Askew. Grammy-nominated duo comes to on Saturday evening. Finally,
Black Violin PPAC Narrows Center for the Arts John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band
River hosts
night. Chan’s
Stadium
hosts in Fall on Saturday night.
Dan Ferguson is a freelance music writer and host of The Boudin Barndance, broadcasting Thursday evenings from 6 – 9 pm on WRIU-FM 90.3 and streaming at WRIU on all major platforms.