Photo by Micah E. Wood The band, manners manners, celebrates their record release for I Held Their Eyes, I Kissed Them All Friday, July 26th on 20/20 Records, and the band – Jack Pinder (vocals/guitar), HS (vocals/drums), and Jes Welter (bass) – chatted up the new record with These Subtle […]
In the Spotlight
Baroness Take Over the Baltimore Soundstage – 10/13/23
Baroness has been through a lot in the more than 20 years the band from Savannah, Georgia has been around. From a near fatal accident in the UK 10 years ago to changes in band members – oh, and then there was a global pandemic which put the brakes on […]
Sounds of Summer: Recounting the Hot August Music Festival
What else can you do on an absolutely gorgeous Saturday in Hunt Valley, Maryland? Well, you can head over to Oregon Ridge Park for a live music experience at the annual Hot August Music Festival. A big shout-out goes to the organizers, Ryan and Robbie, for taking the reins of […]
Joe P Reflects on his Debut Headlining Tour and the Unique Fan Experiences that Made it Unforgettable
I’ve been following Joe P for nearly three years and have had the pleasure of seeing Joe perform multiple times as he’s grown as a musician. This spring, Joe hit the road for his debut headlining tour after supporting other artists Spacey Jane, Joywave and Middle Kids over the last […]
The National Rock a Sold Out Set at The Anthem
@thenational return to DC to play two sold out shows at @theanthemdc
Don’t Call It A Comeback: The Walkmen Return to Philly
I remember hearing The Walkmen years ago with a couple of friends who were already into them. I think there was an unspoken competition to see who could find the next cool band or record. I liked what I was hearing, but it wasn’t until their second album, Bows + […]
Preview: The Walkmen Return to Philly, 5/4/23
photo by Andrew Palermo After, what was referred to as an “extreme hiatus” in 2013, The Walkmen – quintet of Hamilton Leithauser, Paul Maroon, Matt Barrick, Peter Bauer, and Walter Martin – are back! And they are headed to Philly for not one, or two, but THREE shows at the […]
GARY GEARHART
Growing up my dad always had his Nikon with him and no matter what we were doing he was taking photos. He could care less about making artful photographs. He just wanted to capture the moments he shared with his friends and family. I loved dropping off rolls of film […]
SHAKEY GRAVES HEADLINES COAST IS CLEAR FESTIVAL IN KEY WEST
November 30th marks the official end of the Atlantic Hurricane season. In the Florida Keys, residents have traditionally celebrated this by dousing hurricane flags in rum and then burning them. In recent years, a new celebration has come to Key West. In 2017, after Hurricane Irma devastated the Keys, Billy […]
Can’t Get Joe P Off My Mind
Joe P is very different from most of the artists I typically listen to, and I’m not talking about sound or genre. I first stumbled across Joe on Tik Tok in August of 2020. Covid restrictions were still very heavy around that time which also meant no concerts, so it […]
Fontaines DC Return In A Big Way to Baltimore!
Sure to be on your “Do Not Miss” reminder, Fontaines DC returns to Baltimore at Rams Head Live! Monday, October 3, 2022. Doors: 7:00 pmShow: 8:00 pmTickets: $25 Hailed as one of the most exciting bands in decades, Fontaines DC have quickly risen in a short time from their first […]
Courtney Barnett Returns to Rock Rams Head Live!
Since the release of the fantastic Things Take Time, Take Time the latter part of last year, Courtney Barnett has been busy. Not only touring with her longstanding band of Dave Mudie (drums) and Bones Sloane (bass) but kicking off the touring festival “Here and There” which saw Barnett go […]
ALBUM REVIEW: Al Olender Explores What It Means to Be Human on “Easy Crier”
Somewhere at the core of Al Olender’s new album Easy Crier is the important of attention. Attention to love. Attention to grief. Attention to memory. Attention to the infinitesimal moments of life as much as the impossibly cavernous ones that swallow us. She doesn’t strive to offer answers or even […]
Pink Sweat$ Brought his Pink Moon Tour to DC’s 9:30 Club
On 12.3.2021, rising star Pink Sweat$ brought his Pink Moon Tour to DC’s 9:30 Club. The 25 city North American tour started on November 5th in San Diego and will end on December 16th in Dallas. I think it is safe to say that Washington DC is certainly feeling Pink Sweat$, as DC is the […]
Third Eye Blind – Our Bande Apart
In March of 2020, I had tickets to see Third Eye Blind perform in my favorite venue in D.C. – the 930 Club. It sold out immediately and I was so excited to have secured tickets. However, just a few weeks before the date of the show, everything changed, and […]
The Darn Good Music Festival turns out to be just that: No Darn Good
It has been a long 18 months without concerts. Music lovers around the country are hungry for live music and now that venues and festivals are slowly opening back up, fans are jumping at any opportunity to see their favorite artists perform live. Things have been difficult for so many […]
Meridian by Miles Gannett
For the longest time, some music has had this ineffable quality to just make me feel a certain way, to almost change my life, if only for a moment. Miles Gannett’s Meridian did this to me. I first listened to it as I walked around a just-blooming saucer magnolia grove, […]
“Fine, But Not Okay” with Hallelujah the Hills
March 14th, 2021 The reality of the pandemic settled into my heart 365 days ago this morning, every slice of information I can find promising this virus would be worse than we feared. The sudden onset of a break – schools closed, world slowed – held nearly no peace, no […]
2020: As It Happened – A Playlist by Alex Koch
Around this time last year I had an idea that has been trending around the internet for a few years now. Make playlist of a song a day throughout the course of a year and reflect on that list when the year closes. Well, I figured I’d compile songs on […]
New Music Friday 8.7.2020
Note from These Subtle Sounds: if you like something and you have the means, please pay for it beyond your chosen streaming services. Streaming services do not provide musicians with reasonable payment for their work. While we include Spotify due to streaming’s ubiquity, we have also linked Patreon, Bandcamp, and […]
New Music Friday 7.31.2020
Note from These Subtle Sounds: if you like something and you have the means, please pay for it beyond your chosen streaming services. Streaming services do not provide musicians with reasonable payment for their work. While we include Spotify due to streaming’s ubiquity, we have also linked Patreon, Bandcamp, and […]
New Music Friday: 7.24.2020
Note from These Subtle Sounds: if you like something and you have the means, please pay for it beyond your chosen streaming services. Streaming services do not provide musicians with reasonable payment for their work. While we include Spotify due to streaming’s ubiquity, we have also linked Patreon, Bandcamp, and […]
Remembering Chris Cornell on his Birthday
I was introduced to the talent of Chris Cornell in the 90’s through Audioslave, Soundgarden, and Temple of the Dog. His voice carried me through my turbulent teen years and into college. However, it wouldn’t be until his first solo album, Euphoria Morning, that I would start to emotionally connect […]
No Room for Country Music on the Radio
I am proud to say I am a fan of country music. I love the cowboy way of life. I work hard with my hands, with horses, and I have no problem saying how I feel. I love this country. I will wave the beautiful flag of ours proudly. I […]
New Music Friday: 7.17.2020
We here at These Subtle Sounds have been working to navigate the new world we inhabit as best we can, trying to figure out what we can do to keep carrying the music flame. We typically and historically have focused on covering live music – and we’ve certainly written about some livestreams […]
Finding a Way On the Darkest Road: Roll On by Water Liars
Barry Hannah wrote the sort of short stories that took something nearly prosaic and built it into something surreally shattering, brimming with edges of the grotesque, of a distant kind of humor, but always fundamentally human. “Water Liars” was one of those stories, its closing line, “We were both crucified […]
We’re All Just Trying to Survive 2020
During all the 2020 madness, I’ve been making a playlist each month. The playlist is filled with songs by artists I was going to photograph, songs I was listening (both old and new), and songs I’ve been discovering. The amount of songs on each list is equivalent to however many […]
Wrapping Up Pride Month with a Featured Video by Featherburn: Woven
We began Pride Month with a great video and song by Mary Prankster called Sweet Beet, and we are ending the month with this moving song by Featherburn that is worth a listen! Featherburn is a local band from Baltimore/DC area who will be releasing a new EP soon. The […]
Iconic Songs and The Stories Behind Them
Through the years songs have helped define our experiences. They’ve acted as musical landmarks that we associate with both the good and the bad experiences we’ve had in our lives. This all adds up to become what can be considered as the soundtrack for the collective human experience. But how […]
Rising Artist Spotlight: India Shawn
I am a music lover and I will be the first to admit that most of the music I listen to is from “back in the day”. For me, that would be Soul and R&B from the 70s and 80s, Hip Hop and R&B from the 90s and Soft and […]
What the World Needs Now… Some Unconditional Love
We are kicking off June and Pride Month with a delightful little tune by Mary Prankster – “Sweet Beet”. I just love this song! Musically, it calls back to 1940’s swing jazz, with that catchy beat, soft horns, and playful vocals that just makes you want to dance with your […]
The 930 Club Celebrates 40 Years of Live Music
I have seen close to 200 bands perform on the stage of 930 Club. I have spent hours listening to music in the photo pit, from the rail, leaning on the stage, in the balcony, and at the bar. I have attended shows here with old friends, new friends, lovers, […]
Save our Stages
For over ten years, I have been photographing concerts on a weekly basis. My favorite place to be is in a music venue, along side of fellow music lovers, live music photographers, and musicians. Going to shows has been my life-line for when things get stressful, overwhelming, discouraging, or just […]
Bridging the Digital Gap with Charm City Bluegrass
A mere day after the festival should have ended, Charm City Bluegrass (and a bunch of wonderful co-hosts) held a Corona-era special Digifest live from The Gordon Center. While none of us traveled to Druid Hill Park to take in the folk and bluegrass that has come to define the […]
Photo Recap: Live Music Part 3
Enjoy this collection of amazing musicians!