Photos: SXSW 2026 – Day 6, March 17th

SXSW 2026 – Day 6, March 17th
Photos by Kirk Stauffer

Time for country fans to go wild with some gorgeous photos of Lainey Wilson, who appeared at SXSW 2026, day six! The Nashville native, who’s also an actress who has been on the TV series Yellowstone and made her film debut this year with Reminders of Him, has already released five albums. Also at day six’s stages were Amy Gadiaga, a jazz singer, bassist & composer (thank you for the portrait!); Brit singer Morgan Munroe, who performed at Glastonbury last year, and Mexican-American artist Delilah. Delilah (full name Delilah Cabrera) comes from Wenatchee, Washington, and we want to say a huge thank you for the portrait session with Kirk.

US:

Jules Aurora @ Creek & Cave

Iyla @ Creek & Cave

Rosegarden Funeral Party @ Elysium

Keira Vana @ Creek & Cave

Lainey Wilson @ Stubb’s

Mexico/US:

Delilah @ Mala Fama

UK:

Mae Muller @ Palm Door on Sixth

Morgan Munroe @ Palm Door on Sixth

Karma Sheen @ Palm Door on Sixth

France/Mali/London-based:

Amy Gadiaga @ Palm Door on Sixth

Mexico:

Karina Galicia @ Las Perlas

Argentina:

Marilina Bertoldi @ Radio Day Stage

Canada:

Novul @ Swan Dive

Lainey Wilson @ Stubb’s – photos by Kirk Stauffer

Marilina Bertoldi @ Radio Day Stage – photos by Kirk Stauffer

Amy Gadiaga @ Palm Door on Sixth – photos by Kirk Stauffer

Karma Sheen @ Palm Door on Sixth – photos by Kirk Stauffer

Keira Vana @ Creek & Cave – photos by Kirk Stauffer

Jules Aurora @ Creek & Cave – photos by Kirk Stauffer

Novul @ Swan Dive – photos by Kirk Stauffer

Delilah @ Mala Fama – photos by Kirk Stauffer

Morgan Munroe @ Palm Door on Sixth – photos by Kirk Stauffer

Mae Muller @ Palm Door on Sixth – photos by Kirk Stauffer

Karina Galicia @ Las Perlas – photos by Kirk Stauffer

Iyla @ Creek & Cave – photos by Kirk Stauffer

Rosegarden Funeral Party @ Elysium – photos by Kirk Stauffer

Photos: Maya Hawke @ Triple Door

Maya Hawke @ Triple Door – 4/16/2026
Photos by Kirk Stauffer

It was silverware down, then hands clapping as Maya Hawke and her band took the stage at the Triple Door dinner theater in Seattle.  The sold-out show was one of the first stops on Hawke’s 12-city Maitreya Corso Tour, in support of her fourth studio album.  Flanked by husband Christian Lee Hutson (guitar) and Odessa Jorgensen (violin), the trio performed an intimate set that connected with the audience through simplicity rather than spectacle.

Maya Hawke – Photos by Kirk Stauffer

Photos: SXSW – Day 5 – March 16th

SXSW 2026 – Day 5, March 16th
Photos by Kirk Stauffer

An electric harpist from Italy-Switzerland? Wow. This fascinating and rare style of musician came to SXSW 2026 via the artist Kety Fusco. Fusco is classically trained, but rocks too. Also appearing on the fifth day of SXSW, a Dutch singer-songwriter named Stevie Bill, who will tour with Claire Rosinkranz beginning in mid-May. Rosinkranz’s My Lover Tour has a large number of US dates, including one in Seattle on June 1st. MT Jones, an R&B singer from Liverpool, England, is pictured too. Look out for his debut, Joy, coming out in May. And a gigantic thank you to Lola Kinsey for taking portraits!

UK:

MT Jones @ the Global Stage

Sarah Meth @ Swan Dive

US:

Sage Bava @ Marlow

Lola Kinsey @ the Hilton Austin

mer marcum @ las Perlas

Grace Sorensen @ Stubb’s

Amsterdam:

Stevie Bill @ Mohawk

Italy-Switzerland:

Kety Fusco @ Flamingo Cantina

MT Jones @ the Global Stage – photos by Kirk Stauffer

Lola Kinsey @ the Hilton Austin – photos by Kirk Stauffer

Sage Bava @ Marlow – photos by Kirk Stauffer

Grace Sorensen @ Stubb’s – photos by Kirk Stauffer

Sarah Meth @ Swan Dive – photos by Kirk Stauffer

Stevie Bill @ Mohawk – photos by Kirk Stauffer

mer marcum @ las Perlas – photos by Kirk Stauffer

Kety Fusco @ Flamingo Cantina – photos by Kirk Stauffer

‘Coltrane at 100’ at the Moore Theatre

Saxophonist and composer John Coltrane, along with Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and Charilie Parker, is widely considered one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 21st century and one of the foundational pillars of this uniquely American musical form. 2026 is the 100th anniversary of Coltrane’s birth and the centennial is being marked by the release of recorded music and numerous concerts celebrating his career and his impact on American music. It’s hard to think of a jazz saxophone player who has not been influenced by Coltrane’s legacy, be it stylistically or spiritually. Joe Lovano, who led the band last night during the ‘Coltrane at 100’ performance at the Moore Theatre in Seattle, is a confirmed Coltrane disciple, having recorded a number of albums dedicated to the late, great jazzman’s compositions. It’s hard to imagine anyone more qualified to pay tribute to the legacy of John Coltrane.

Lovano’s band Tuesday night was more than up to the task of tackling Coltrane’s challenging and varied catalog, from the bluesy hard bop of ‘Locomotion’, through the freewheeling improvisation of Coltrane’s ‘Love Supreme’ era material, to the lush romanticism of ‘Naima’, reportedly Coltrane’s favorite of his compositions, titled after and in honor of his first wife.

The band featured Melissa Aldana on second tenor sax (splitting duties with Lovano), bassist Linda May Han Oh, South African pianist Nduduzo Makhathini, and Jeffry ‘Tain’ Watts on drums. While the entire band was stellar, I would single out pianist Nduduzo and Jeffry Watts on drums as being particularly well suited to Coltrane’s compositions and playing style. Nduduzo is clearly inspired by the playing of McCoy Tyner, Coltrane’s pianist in his classic 60’s quartet, along with Elvin Jones and Jimmy Garrison. Nduduzo incorporates Tyner-esque percussive open chords in tandem with fleet melodic runs while somehow maintaining his own Afrocentric voice. I found his playing thrilling and delightful, actually breaking into a chuckle over one particularly witty and well executed passage. Watt’s on drums is another indispensable component in the band, swinging in a bluesy fashion, ala Philly Joe Jones, on the early period Coltrane composition ‘Locomotion’, shifting into unmistakable Elvin Jones type rolling polyrhythms during the ‘Love Supreme Era’ portion of the program, and adopting a suitably ‘free’ Rashied Ali type attack during the more improvisational, exploratory sections of the band’s set. Watts is, for my money, one of the very finest drummers working in jazz today. His playing, especially in conjunction with Linda May Han Oh’s bass stylings, conveys the feeling of dancing. I will confess that my toes were tapping under my seat for the bulk of the set last night, and for that I credit the superb rhythm section.

Video: NOA’s “Say Yes”

Artist: NOA‘S “Say Yes”
Why You Want to Watch:  This video is pretty much all Japanese singer-songwriter NOA. I caught this on the show J-MELO, which highlights Japanese musicians every week or so. You can see that episode here, including an interview with NOA, or watch the video, featuring him singing and dancing in red and black. It happens to be a great song too.
~Dagmar