This month, the music industry experienced some great losses due to Covid-19. However, in the sadness we find comfort in music. We are so appreciative of the many musicians who are doing what they can to remind us that we are all in this together. Enjoy this little collection of […]
Baltimore has always been known for having a great music scene. We have several dedicated, talented musicians who bring the joy of music to our city. Several awesome bands have risen out of Baltimore including Wye Oak, Dan Deacon, and Beach House. Just before everything shut down, I met up […]
It is obvious to anyone who knows me, The Cure is my favorite band. Not only do I connect with The Cure musically, the band has been responsible for so many wonderful friendships in my life – many of which I have had for close to 20 years. Entire vacations […]
When I still nipped at my parents’ heels, small enough to be childlike and old enough to want to not be, I discovered the unquiet joy of simple songs and dreams laid out on carpets. My dad played records and cassettes in the basement, his old collection and that golden […]
For years now, The Honey Dewdrops – Laura Wortman and Kagey Parrish – have acted as representatives of so much of what’s good in Baltimore. They adopted Charm City a half-decade or so ago and have quietly woven their songs into its tapestry. They champion community, consideration, and a deeper […]
Our lives have been changed in light of the Covid-19 virus. This has been a very challenging experience for many people in our country AND around the world. Music has always been a lifeline in helping people to get through tough times. However, with our music venues closed and social […]
As we are all dealing with the stress and anxiety of the current events in our world, I felt the need to say a few things. Maybe this is a way to deal with my own stress and anxiety. With many bands suspending their tours and venues postponing shows, it […]
This past weekend, the newly formed band, Be Well packed the upstairs room at Songbyrd Music House in D.C. The much talked about band may be new to the scene; however, the five members that make up Be Well are deeply rooted in the area’s hardcore punk music scene going […]
Hi! My names Alex and I’m a 20 year old music and sound nerd who’s got a love for photography as well. My love and passion for music originates from car rides with my mom and listening to Richard Blades radio shows. From there spawned my love for David Bowie, […]
For the better part of two decades, Caleb Stine has had a hand in a Baltimore folk-revival that continues to grow. His collaborative and open spirit defines the music, his shows an experience in interconnectedness. Caleb champions other musicians as often as he can, freely talking about the musicians that […]
Next Wednesday, January 29, the Wood Brothers will be performing at Rams Head Live on their latest tour. They are out on the road in support of their latest album, Kingdom In My Mind, which will be available this Friday, the 24th. We are very excited for the show and […]
We had an amazing year! Special thanks goes out to all of our amazing contributors for making our inaugural year a success! Read about each of our contributors in our “About” section and check out their contributions to the blog in their bio posts! For our Year in Review, we […]
This was a very busy year for me! I came in somewhere around 160 performances that I attended and photographed all but 10 of them. I started the blog at the beginning of 2019 and that has shifted my work a bit towards editing and managing (which I kinda like). […]
This is never easy! To me, every photo has meaning, and some of my favorite photos may not be in focus or amazing lights, but its the emotion in the photo that I love. As you read, click on any of the images to read the full review and see […]
Happy Holidays! In 2019, I finally started taking steps towards combining my dual passions of music and photography as a concert photographer. I have shot many shows unofficially for years, but I have to admit there is nothing like having an official photo pass and being in the pit! I […]
When the calendar rolls over from November to December, it becomes easy to get lost in little reveries, looking back on the year. We live in an age of lists, when Buzzfeed and all of its identical websites present everything in such orderly fashion, a delightful illusion of organization and […]
Night One On a Thursday night in December, arriving following a long drive from Baltimore, I walked into the Boot and Saddle, its dim wooden interiors brightened by colorful holiday lights. Settling in at the bar, I hear soundcheck ending in the back of the club – “Keys” in all […]
Top ten lists can be tough! Especially this past year, 2019, when I can’t think of a single show that was not a good one. So, for lack of space, here are a few of those shows that stuck with me. Some, like Jawbox’s reunion show at Baltimore’s Metro Gallery […]
Music has always spoken to me, provided the words when I couldn’t find any, and when words wouldn’t come, melodies and often hard-hitting rock your face off riffs provided the soundtrack to my life. For years I have watched photographers at concerts, envying their spot. I had dabbled in photography […]
This was my first year photographing and reviewing shows for “These Subtle Sounds”. In this year, I’ve learned a lot, and I am grateful to “These Subtle Sounds” and for the artists I was fortunate to photograph. Delfest I started out the year with Delfest. Delfest is always a great […]
There are some bands that you just “get”. For whatever reason, you connect with them instantly and know that no matter what, you will support their musical endeavors. This was how it was for me and The Joy Formidable. Recently, I wrote a brief recap of my history of the […]
Life is so often governed by sea changes, those massive scale events that happen almost suddenly, but the world had never stopped changing under the surface. Mystic Country by Caleb Stine and the Revelations represents a sea change. As ever, Caleb sings directly – you can glean certain information quickly […]
Over the course of two nights toward the end of November, during what is cheekily known as “Pranksgiving Weekend” (November 29th-30th), revered local artist Mary Prankster will return to the stage in Baltimore and Alexandria, Virginia to play her first shows in nearly 14 years. Between 1994 and 2005, Prankster […]
When listening to music, history matters. The singer’s, the band’s. The listeners’, the venue’s. My history with Grace Potter is long, dating back more than a decade, first seeing her with The Nocturnals at the now-defunct Recher Theater in Towson, MD, surrounded by university students and a small haze […]
Born in Washington, DC in the mid 1970’s. Raised in the burbs. Lived everywhere locally. I started going to shows in the mid 1990’s. Way too many shows to count in the last 30 years. I’m not a musician. I don’t know music theory. However, I know what I like […]
I’ve lived in or around Baltimore most of my life and have worked as a social worker in both Baltimore and DC for several years. And for more than 25 years I’ve been going to shows pretty regularly – whether it’s in a basement, art space, or big arenas going […]
Town Mountain tours a lot. Somewhere between 130-150 shows a year, with significantly more days spent traveling, they’re nearly always on the road together, a tarheeled traveling family. Hailing from Asheville, North Carolina, I talked to Zach Smith, the band’s bassist, about their upcoming tour, including a show at The […]
I have had the pleasure of following David Wax Museum since I saw them perform at Newport Folk Festival 2010, which was a spot they won in a contest. At this point, David Wax Museum had already released two albums and they performed most of these songs at their live […]
As autumn begins to fall, I find myself in an unsteady state, somewhere between the rising dread of lost daylight and the untamed joy of undressing forests and breath-stopping winds. A dichotomy of being that certainly has more shades of gray, but it’s hard to see past the splitting. […]
Cathy DiToro has been involved in the D.C. music scene for more than 10 years, and her involvement in the music industry made her realize: women in music industry needed to be treated more equally. Cathy realized that there were so many talented women in the area, and these women […]
When Dirty Honey came into Baltimore, they were flying high. Their song, “When I’m Gone”, has hit #1 on the Media Base Active Rock chart and they’re getting ready to drop their video for their rocking single,”Rolling 7s”. I had an opportunity to sit down with the band before they […]
I can’t tell you exactly when I fell in love with music, at some point in my early childhood music grabbed me, became part of who I am, and hasn’t let go. I grew up listening to what we now consider “the classics” on 8 track, tapes, and vinyl. When […]
I have been a fan of Vampire Weekend from the very beginning. I instantly fell in love with the cheerful melodies, playful keyboards, and Ezra’s perfect falsetto. Every time Vampire weekend came to D.C., I made sure to go to their shows. In fact, Vampire weekend was my daughter’s first concert when she was 10 years […]
When I first saw Christone “Kingfish” Ingram listed as the opener for Vampire Weekend at Merriweather on August 29th, I have to admit that I was unaware of who this musician was. A friend told me that he was a “must see” and “the next big thing”. Therefore, I made […]
The fearless musical force, lead by founding member and singer/guitarist/keyboardist Teri Gender Bender, Le Butcherettes played as the opening act on a massive summer tour with Devil Makes Three, Flogging Molly, and Social Distortion. Le Butcherettes is a band that I never miss an opportunity to catch performing live. I’ve been […]
