Always an acoustically superb and visually striking place to see a show, the 800-seat Sixth & I Historic Synagogue felt like a more intimate venue than usual on Tuesday night as Laura Marling effortlessly engaged a rapt capacity crowd with her poignant songcraft and endearing stage presence.
When Ben Harper, Dhani Harrison (the son of Beatles guitarist George Harrison) and Joseph Arthur announced the formation of Fistful of Mercy, I knew little of the latter two musicians’ histories. As a big fan of Harper’s previous work, however, I thought a trip to see the self-proclaimed “super-group” at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue would make for a worthwhile evening.
Anoushka Shankar, photo by Anushka Nadia MenonSteeped in North India’s Hindustani classical music from a very young age, sitarist Anoushka Shankar has always been respectful of its ancient roots, but also sees it as living music that is continuously growing and evolving. This outlook is no doubt in large part due to the influence of her father, Ravi Shankar. Arguably India’s most well-known musician, the elder Shankar brought Indian classical music to Western ears…
Many critics have called Joanna Newsom’s triple-length album, Have One on Me, her most ambitious recording to date — and also her most accessible. But what’s changed? Her songs are still epic yarns: the title track alone clocks in at a hefty 11:02, and that is to say nothing of the triple-album presentation. With her latest album, Newsom expands her fairy-tale menagerie, introducing fables starring daddy long legs, jackrabbits, and kingfishers. And then there…
Words and photos by DCist contributor Francis Chung Brooklyn-based four-piece Yeasayer brought their self-described “Middle Eastern-Psych-Pop-Snap-Gospel” to D.C. on Wednesday night, and the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue proved to be an apt setting for their inspired performance. The historic building’s excellent acoustics and top-notch sound system conveyed the nuances of the band’s complex sonic palette. The religious setting also gave the spiritual connotations of the band’s psychedelic drones, tribal beats, incendiary chants, church-choir harmonies,…
Written and photographed by Martin Locraft When listening to Matt Nathanson’s studio albums, one might assume that his live show is typical singer-songwriter – guy with a guitar, a backup musician or two, relatively mellow – but last night’s crowd at the sold-out Sixth and I Historic Synagogue quickly learned that this certainly isn’t the case. The San Francisco native resident, known for maintaining a Storytellers-esque vibe on stage, revealed throughout the evening that he’s…
Laura Burhenn has a beautiful voice. Pure, strong, clear, emotive. I’ve heard her live many times before, both as part of Georgie James and in solo performances, but her voice may never have sounded so astoundingly lovely as it did inside the acoustically perfect Sixth & I Historic Synagogue last night. And when Adele took the stage after her opener, she put the talented Burhenn to shame. Adele turned 20 years old last month, and…
