It is hard to believe that the last time I stepped into Hard Rock, Live was 18 months ago. Walking through those doors and seeing the familiar faces of the bartenders and security folks…well it just felt GOOD. So did seeing all the fans that showed up for one […]
My car rumbled along the Maryland highways, enduring the terrors of Washington DC’s 295 to 695 stretch of road, the already poor driving of our nation’s capital apparently exacerbated by last year’s quarantine. Playing on the stereo, feet feverishly flicking between the brake and the accelerator, we sing along So […]
From the piedmont lowlands of northern Maryland, we drove into America’s oldest mountains, her ridges blue in the heat-hazed distance. My wife found ourselves settled first into an old house in Purcellville, its floors sloping with time, its windows lead-wavy, its acreage covered by a working farm. From there, we […]
I checked my phone midway through the day today. Texts, tweets, tags, and messages – “have you heard?” “did you see?” I followed links sent to my phone and checked out Twitter and sure enough – D.C.’s Mayor announced today that venues in D.C. could open at full capacity after […]
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, […]
Musicians, Venue Owners, and the Concert Enthusiast have all been waiting for the day when live music can once again be performed on a stage in front of a club filled with fans. It’s been a long year and we are now starting to see signs of life in the […]
One Year. One Year and two weeks, to be a bit more exact. This is how long it’s been since I felt the goosebumps and chills of a live concert. Well, this past Friday, March 19th, I finally got a taste of a litte normalcy. However, it was more than […]
As a huge music fan, I have REALLY been missing live performances. When I heard that Ms. Debórah Bond would be performing live on 3/19/2021, I decided to pay the (very reasonable) $20 fee and check out her performance. The show was streamed live from Blue House Studio in Silver […]
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 […]
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 […]
We are all coming to grips with how this pandemic has changed our lives. The entertainment industry has been hit especially hard. Many artists earn a significant portion of their income by touring, and the pandemic has made that pretty much impossible. More artists are now turning to streaming shows […]
Just half a year (or a lifetime) ago, live music stopped, the world all but halted, and we started collectively telling ourselves lies about the return of normal. And that last bit’s okay, I think, as a need for hope is sometimes stronger than the impulse for honesty.It’s why we […]
Maryland Art Place will be featuring their first exhibition since early 2020: Seen: 20 Years of Baltimore Music Photography. This exhibit was curated by Josh Sisk, Joe Giordano with support from Audrey Gatewood. It will feature a comprehensive look at music in Baltimore over the past 20 years. In addition to the photography exhibit, […]
As we have been saying for the last two months, we are so thankful for Jammin Java hosting small outdoor shows for us music lovers! September and October is packed with shows, so please be sure to visit their website for live music happening throughout the upcoming months! Here’s a […]
With Covid putting a halt on concerts for now, it’s been hard for many music lovers to adjust to the lack of live music. Artists have done an amazing job getting creative with ways to interact with fans and do what they love. There have been live-stream concerts, listening parties, […]
Thanks so much to Mike Stone for going to the 4-day run of shows at Jammin Java this past week and weekend! Take a look at the artists who performed August 6-9th and give Mike a follow on Instagram for more concert photos! Be sure to visit Jammin’ Java’s website […]
It has been 5 months since my last concert. This Covid life adjustment has been challenging coming from someone who attended shows on a weekly basis. Live-stream performances have been a nice change of pace; however, there really is nothing like a live performance. A few bands have been developing […]
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 […]
Jammin Java was hopping this past weekend with shows Thursday-Sunday, sending July off with a bang and welcoming the month of August with some great musicians. As always, special thanks to Mike Stone for capturing these great shots from the shows! Give him a follow on Instagram! Be sure to […]
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 […]
As always, special thanks to Mike Stone for grabbing some photos of the performances this past weekend! We are always happy to have him contribute to These Subtle Sounds! Be sure to check out Mike Stone on Instagram for more of his concert photos! Ethan Schaefer Ethan Schaefer is a […]
On 7/24/2020, Grammy award winning trumpet player, composer and producer Maurice “Mobetta” Brown and his all-star band performed live at the legendary Blue Note in New York City. The show was streamed live on BlueNoteLive.com. Brown is the first artist to be featured in the Blue Note’s Live Streaming concert series. Given the current […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
We are really missing live music. Slowly, we are seeing some outdoor shows emerge featuring the amazing talent of our local musicians. Jammin Java has been featuring their “Song and a Slice” concert series every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evening in July. Special thanks to Mike Stone for help with […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Wandering Lies performed two power-packed sets at Jammin Java this past Saturday! The performance is part of a Song and a Slice series which is taking place in the parking lot of Jammin Java throughout the month of July. The 5-piece band from D.C. rocked the audience with some great […]
For the first time in many months, I went to hear and photograph a show Sunday evening. Hot Rod Mule brought Bluegrass to Wehrleys Auction House in Glen Rock, PA. The show was out-doors and I was happy to see social distancing practices were in place. The band, which is […]
Jammin Java delivered another weekend of live music including a Friday night sold out show with Oh He Dead and a July 4th show with Courtney King! Special thanks to Mike Stone for contributing these photos and thanks to Jammin Java for bringing some live music back into our lives! […]
As the world slowly emerges from Covid-19 lockdown, more establishments are opening and getting creative on establishing the “new normal”. Jammin Java, who frequently hosted live music prior to the Covid shutdown, has come up with a way to treat locals to great live music and donate to a good […]
As we are painfully aware, the current pandemic has eliminated most in person activities, including concerts. That is causing significant challenges for artists as they try to make a living and also get the exposure they need to showcase their talents. One positive trend that has emerged during this time is the […]
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 […]
