There’s an epitome of cool, and that is San Francisco’s Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. The quartet visited Seattle in September ’25, in moody black and blue vibes, surrounded by some fog, flashing lights, and they played lots of powerful music. Prepping for the 20th anniversary release of the now remastered Howl, including an enticing box set, BRMC shared a huge portion from that album live. With inspiration from the poem “Howl” by Allen Ginsberg, the band could easily ask of the world, “What sphinx of cement and aluminum bashed open their skulls and ate up their brains and imagination?” Fortunately there’s no fear they would ever need to ask this of themselves, because they really are awesome.
Jazz Alley was the perfect setting for returning singer Stella Cole during a two-night stop on her It’s Magic tour. Drawing from the Great American Songbook, the audience was transported back to the previous century with her beautiful voice and stage presence. On one of the song intros, the twenty-something commented that the decades-old tunes were two, three and even four times older than she was. Michael Kanan (piano), Michael Migliore (bass), and Hank Allen-Barfield (drums) complemented her style flawlessly. Sounding exactly like Judy Garland, Cole finished her set with, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”, which was quickly followed by a well-deserved standing ovation.
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit played the Paramount Theater Friday evening, his first visit to Washington State since the summer of 2024. Isbell released his 10th post Drive By Truckers album in 2025, ‘Foxes in the Snow’. The release is his first solo acoustic album and it has been nominated for 3 Grammy awards, including Best Folk Album.
This is probably the moment to acknowledge the fact that I am a fairly avid fan of both Isbell and the Drive By Tuckers, having seen both acts more than a handful of times. Isbell, born and raised in the Muscle Shoals region of Alabama, was a member of the Truckers from 2001 to 2007, his time with the band coming to an unhappy conclusion when he was asked to leave over concerns for his then struggles with addiction to alcohol and drugs. The singer/songwriter/guitarist began treatment for his illness in 2012 and has been candid about his journey toward sobriety, referencing both his struggles and successes in his music. Over the last few years he has mended his relationship with his ex bandmates in the Drive By Truckers, appearing with them onstage, including a recent televised performance on the Stephen Colbert show.
Isbell’s performance Friday evening was an intriguing and satisfying collection of songs drawn from his lengthy solo career with a handful of numbers he wrote and recorded with the Drive By Truckers. The show opened on a strong note with a full band version of one of the highlights of ‘Foxes in the Snow’, the seemingly autobiographical ‘Crimson and Clay’:
“guess the city didn’t kill me after all, the thing that nearly took me out was loneliness and alcohol, so I just put it down and walked away, and went back to the crimson and the clay”
Isbell’s band, the 400 Unit, is a road honed collection of stellar musicians, with special consideration going to his exceptional lead guitarist, Sadler Vaden (formerly of the much loved southern combo ‘Drivin and Cryin’). Vaden shone throughout the evening on electric and acoustic guitars and on mandolin. Both he and Isbell are formidable players and frequently square off for long and thrilling solo ‘battles’, seemingly relishing the opportunity to collaboratively improvise and create. They had many such opportunities to lock horns Friday night and the audience responded enthusiastically after each engagement.
One can’t help but notice and appreciate Isbell and the 400 Unit’s dexterity with and fondness for dense Southern Rock meets Crazy Horse style guitar centric jams. The connection was made abundantly clear Friday when the band launched the last of 3 rapturously received encore numbers, Neil Young’s ‘Like a Hurricane’. It was the perfect finale to an evening of thoughtfully conceived and well delivered rock & roll.
Guitarists JD Simo and Luther Dickinson, drummer Adam Abrash, and vocalist Datrian Johnson played what will likely prove to be (for me) one of the musical highlights of 2026 at the Tractor Tavern in Ballard this week. Simo and Dickinson are touring in support of their first collaboration, ‘Do the Rump’ (released in late 2024), with a second long player soon to be completed. The band played songs from their first album, an intriguing selection of covers (including songs from Mississippi Hill Country blues titans Junior Kimbrough and RL Burnside, John Lee Hooker, Bobby Charles, and more) and a handful of tunes from Dickinson’s recent ‘Dead Blues Vol. 1’ LP.
Althought Tuesday’s show at the Tractor was the first time Simo and Dickinson have played Seattle together, they are both well known to Northwest blues aficionados. Dickinson and his brother Cody have played under the ‘North Missassippi All Stars’ banner for 25 years, with Seattle being a frequent stop on tour itineraries. Dickinson has also done stints with the Black Crowes, John Hiatt, and in (now deceased Grateful Dead bass player) Phil Lesh’s band. It was while playing with Lesh that Dickinson first encountered JD Simo, a fortuitous meeting that eventually led to their current pairing. Simo also has a lengthy and impressive list of credits and accomplishments, playing under his own name and working with the likes of Jack White, Joe Bonamassa, Samantha Fish, Beyonce, Chris Issak, and many more.
Tuesday night’s set started on an emphatic note with a blistering version of ‘Do the Rump Louise’, one of the standout tracks from their aforementioned album. Both Simo and Dickinson are truly formidable musicians, with chops that match their impressive resumes. While their technical aptitude is beyond question, the two musicians never resort to running flashy scales or indulging in ego burnishing one upmanship. They both manage to maintain their unique instrumental voices while always playing in service to the song. As jaw dropping as the guitar playing was Tuesday, it was the next level drumming of Adam Abrash that held the whole thing together. Playing an almost comically simple trap drum kit, Abrash played with a fluidity and deep in the pocket swing that had to be experienced in the flesh to be appreciated. It was readily apparent from the first note that these three men enjoy making music together. One got the feeling that they were playing as much for each other as they were for the delighted audience.
Of special note at the Tractor was the unadvertised appearance of vocalist Datrian Johnson. The soulful singer joined the band for a handful of blues covers associated with the early years of the Grateful Dead. ‘One Kind Favor’, ‘Who Do You Love’, and ‘King Bee’ all paid a spiritual debt to the Dead’s first keyboard player (and their most authentic and authoritative connection to the blues), Ron ‘Pigpen’ McKernan. Johnson’s appearance, and the inclusion of the Dead adjacent material to an already memorable set of music, was the perfect accompaniment to a night of red hot blues that I will not soon forget.
