Alisa’s approach to performance has everything to do with this, of course. After the first or second song, she invited us into a guided meditation, breathing deeply, scanning our bodies, welcoming in the good, and breathing out the bad. She invited us to love ourselves just as we are. The entire show had a thread of care, of empathy, and humor that you just can’t get anywhere else.

I got to interview Alisa for the Red Line Roots podcast a couple of years ago, in 2021, just after her EP, Narratives, came out. It remains one of my favorite interviews from the podcast, because Alisa was so unguarded and thoughtful. I remember driving to pick someone up at the airport 6 or 7 months later, listening to NPR and hearing the news that Alisa had won the Tiny Desk Contest. My eyes welled up with tears of joy for this incredible musician, singer, and storyteller. I knew that winning the contest was not a golden ticket by any means; making a life in music is so improbable that it does take more than the good graces of NPR to ensure success. And, at the same time, it was an affirmation of someone whose songs deeply matter and whose voice is needed.

While I got to see Alisa perform at the Newport Folk Festival this summer, it was so enjoyable to see her headlining her own show with the incredible Eliza Edens supporting her. These are two women deeply committed to songcraft and the audience of the Cat’s Cradle showed up ready to listen. One of the things I particularly loved about Alisa’s performance was her translation of some of her songs in Spanish before she performed them. It wasn’t just that the lyrics are beautiful and gave me access to their beauty, but it also highlighted the melodic and chord considerations for the songs in a new way. For example, in one song Alisa talked about the narrator’s doubt and she said, “So it goes into this minor section,” and you could really hear the minor chords underscoring doubt and uncertainty. It is a really wonderful thing when you go into a concert loving songs and walk away from the concert understanding them in a new light.

I had circled December 14th on my calendar ever since the tour announcement was made. And even though Alisa’s current tour is over now, I encourage you to seek out her music and make sure that you capture the next time she’s in your town. That was my last show of 2024, and it will linger well into the new year. 

Check out more photos at @kentempleton_photos

Our good friend Christopher Paul Stelling is making a return to the Green Mountain State and NYC based, New England fav Mary-Elaine Jenkins will join f for a singer-songwriter double-header on April 21st. More info below. In the meanwhile, cehck this oldie out from a live show from CPS way back when I was still in Massachusetts…

Christopher Paul Stelling and Mary-Elaine Jenkins
Sunday, April 21st at 7:30 PM

Christopher Paul Stelling

Atlanta, Georgia based songwriter Christopher Paul Stelling has released 7 albums and played thousands of concerts across the US and EU over the last decade. Stelling has mostly toured solo but has also supported Son Little, Mavis Staples, The Devil Makes Three, Ben Harper and many others. Stelling released a trio of albums for indie favorite Anti- records and has performed multiple times at Newport Folk Festival and on CBS Saturday Morning. Stelling is known for his intricate finger-style guitar work, road tested vocal delivery, and introspective lyrics.

Mary-Elaine Jenkins

Mary-Elaine Jenkins is a Brooklyn-based songwriter, singer, and guitarist. A native of the South Carolina Lowcountry, her sound combines manifold influences with a distinctly southern sensibility. After graduating from college in Washington, DC, she spent two years in Madrid, a time that would prove creatively transformative. Upon making her home in NYC, she surrounded herself with a creative network that would eventually include Thom Beemer, who produced and engineered “Hold Still,” her full-length debut.

TICKETS HERE

Nowadays I am just as content cruising the countryside here at home listening to the latest contemporary instrumental string band record as I am some underground UK Grime artist. Stormzy hits the old playlist in the Subaru and I bumping that shit. But I digress. My wife has been a core reason for that expansion in my mind and when she suggested going to Higher Ground last evening to see the SYML show, it was a “yeah, lets do that!” rather than a “yeah, if you really want to” that it would have been years ago…and I realize an ex-indie band artist venturing out on their own isn’t quite a departure from the Americana/Roots I have come to associate myself and this publication with, but hey, small steps.

We hadn’t previously heard of the opening act Trent Dabbs (a fact he took the opportunity to make a few self inflicted deprecating jabs about. Which I can appreciate), but upon looking at the dude’s resume, its impressive to say the least. Penning songs for everyone from Kacey Musgraves to David Archuleta, you have probably heard one of his songs, perhaps without even knowing it. He wisped onto the stage amid another tune playing and strummed the first chord of a tune, dovetailing the house music to his acoustic driven set…a nice touch, as was his glimmery blazer. His voice dancing somewhere between Ryan Adams and a younger Neil Young, elegant finger picking flowing beneath he shared a breadth of his catalogue in the short time he shared with the audience. A dry wit and stories between songs kept folks engaged and the mood light. At one point mentioned he was from Nashville, to which the audience replied with dead silence…Dabbs took it in stride, but perhaps its the fact that Burlington is Bernie Country and while we may love the music coming from Music City, we aren’t too keen on the state’s politics. Don’t take it too hard, Trent. We still dig your “Heavy Mellow”.

SYML and the band took the stage in almost matching all white getups. Lead singer Brian Fennell jumping back and forth between a beautiful matte Gibson ES-335 and a Martin acoustic. One of the two tunes I have become most partial to from the artist, ‘Believer’, hitting earlier in the set.

You know when you hear a song on the radio or Spotify or god-willing, off a record that you bought directly from an artist and you have a moment to think “well, it can’t sound that good in person”. SYML doesn’t have that issue. The man’s voice is fucking sunlight and a light breeze captured in sonic format. Undulating through falsetto highs that pierce your heart and soulfully reverberating smoothness that, it just hits in a different way.

The layered tapestry the band weaves in a live setting is mind boggling. 4 part vocal arrangements that are subtle but profound. I found myself through the course of the set, eyes jutting from musician to musician on stage. Guitarist/Mellotron/Vocalist and who knows what else he was doing back there, Kyle Moore had me the most captivated. His dance, almost in a trance like state, artfully crafting the underpinnings of the songs through a series of effects pedals, slide guitar parts and vocal patters.  “Playing everything” Brian Eichelberger, swapping instruments seemingly mid song without missing a beat, adding volumes with vocals, keys, violin and bass. Front left of stage, Abby Gundersen, calmly but ever so focused on providing breathtaking vocal harmony that seamlessly flowed into the songs while adding melody on the keys. And in the back, doing some of the most interesting drum work I’ve seen in a while, Ulf Wahlgren keeping the rhythm ever so in check.

The energy and the strain that singing in the capacity Fennell does is beyond comprehension for me. A few sips from a small plastic cup of whiskey over the course of evening seemed to allow him almost superhuman vocal capabilities. The power in which he sings and performs acrobatics with his vocal cords. Sailing high above the swirling controlled chaos of the band. Then in the more subtle moments, as an audience member had requested “Better” off of 2016’s “Hurt For Me” EP, he took to the keys as the rest of the band sat in silence in a gorgeously intimate moment, violin melodies entering courtesy of Eichelberger for pieces throughout. It was another one of those intimate moments, when the band left the stage and he sat at the keyboard to perform and instrumental “I Wanted To Leave” (sampled by Lana del Rey on her “Paris, Texas”). Its in moments like that where you realize the true creative depth and talents of an artist like Brian. A deafening silence overtaking the crowd as his hands dance across the keys.

The banter between songs and ad hoc Q&A gave a glimpse of the humor that juxtaposes the songwriter’s mindset. A bit sarcastic and cynical. He addressed the crowd in a comforting and “like this is your old buddy” kind of a way. Endearing, humorous. Creating an intimate feel in a sea of 100s of anonymous faces. Inviting us all in, but for a brief moment in time.

The band ended with what Brian described as his favorite song from the most recent album, the album’s closing track “Corduroy”. Yet another beautiful and delicately crafting blanket of sound enveloping the audience, with its warm and layers and depths.

So, take a chance. Go to a show that your normally wouldn’t actively go to. Embrace music. Embrace art. Embrace artists creating beauty and sharing it.

(and apologies for the bad iPhone photos…)

From the first song, “Wondrous Love,” Watchhouse performed with their signature understated brilliance. Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz sing together like they were born to do so. Josh Oliver plays guitar like he’s helping you hear something possible; Andrew’s solos on mandolin are never showy or about proving how fast he can play, but are always about serving the song. I don’t know of another band that wears their world-class skill with such humility. 

“Belly of the Beast” was one of my favorites from the new album in this set. It’s that perfect bridge of where the band has been and where they might be headed. It’s got a waltzy feel to it, but the chorus then shifts the tempo and the sonic layers in the song are so deep. I also loved “Lonely Love Affair,” with this beautiful, lilting guitar riff behind Andrew’s vocals and the instrumental, “Coming Down from Green Mountain,” (maybe a reference to our beloved Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots festival?) was so fun because the whole band seemed to be grinning as they played off each other.  “Nightbird,” was amazing to hear in this venue in particular because it is both so simple and so lush, and the acoustics in a place like DPAC make you feel like the sound is taking you in. 

The set was focused on the new record, but also featured fantastic selections from the back catalogue, when Watchhouse was known as Mandolin Orange. “Hey Stranger,” was a highlight, with the band gathered around one microphone. A fan made a request for “That Wrecking Ball,” from Such Jubilee. It wasn’t on the set list, but they obliged. Andrew asked him his name, and then said, “Hey y’all, this one’s for Kevin Bryant.” You have to love that kind of responsiveness and appreciation that many of the folks listening with rapt attention in one of the nicest venues in the state have been there all along, from bars to barns and, now, concert halls. After they finished, Emily said, “Nat’s never even played that song before,” but Nat Smith (cello, keyboards) seemed to hold his own just fine. It probably helps that he, Josh Oliver, and Clint Mullican are also members of Andrew Marlin’s instrumental group and they just listen to each other so well.

Toward the end of the set, Emily introduced “Wildfire,” the historical examination of how racism has been given oxygen in this country, by referencing the not-guilty verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. It is another example, she said, of our justice system upholding white supremacy, and she wanted that stated explicitly. “Wildfire” traces our country’s lie of racial difference from Joseph Warren, for whom Andrew’s hometown is named, to where we are today, “caught in the wildfire.” And even with the clarity of the lyrics, and Emily’s introduction, someone still cheered when Andrew sang his lament that “I was born a southern son, in a small southern town / Where the rebels run wild, beat their chests, and swear they’re gonna rise again.” But when he cheered, Andrew spotted him in the crowd and gave him the finger, resulting in the biggest cheer of the night.

My younger brother first recommended Mandolin Orange to me maybe eight or nine years ago. I looked them up on daytrotter, which was my go-to music discovery place for a while, and was immediately hooked. They were playing music I felt like I knew already. It was lovely and beautiful. With their new record and new name, Watchhouse, I feel like a passenger on this exciting exploration on where roots music can go. We have examined the familiar; now it’s time to look up and around to see what else is out there. I can’t wait. 

Make sure to check the tour dates for Watchhouse and Yasmin Williams. And check out our full gallery on the RLR facebook page!