The dynamic duo that is Matt and Kim appear this Saturday at Showbox SoDo in Seattle. Brooklyn-based, Matt (Johnson) and Kim (Schifino) put on awesome and exciting live shows. I also love that they put a warning on their show schedule: LANGUAGE IS DEFINITELY NOT SUITABLE FOR ALL AGES BECAUSE OF KIM. Too sweet.
Matt and Kim’s current tour is their GRAND 10 Year Celebration Tour (these dates always stun me. How time flies). It’s also great to report that Kim recovered from her horrible 2017 ACL injury. Matt revealed that “2017 was not a great year for us. Kim got real depressed during her recovery, and anyone who knows Kim (or has seen her play) knows she’s such a bad-ass upbeat person so it was hard.” Instead of live dates, the pair spent time recording album number six, Almost Everyday.
They also do other cool and lovable things such as donating money to help adopt dogs. Sending them extra love for that!
Vampire Weekend @ WaMu Theater, 9/27/19 Photos by John Rudolph
Vampire Weekend released album number four, Father of the Bride this spring, and Seattle was one of the absolutely lucky cities to see the band live. With a rather large gap of six years between this album and their prior work, Modern Vampires of the City, Vampire Weekend has made an incredibly welcome return. Their new work features Koenig as the primary songwriter of many of the tracks, in addition to his lyric-writing role. Watch for so many Vampire Weekend dates closing out this year, and all next year. Great to see them back!
Ezra Koenig of Vampire WeekendVampire Weekend – photos by John Rudolph
Local, soulful singer-songwriter Ruthie Craft performed at the Café Racer last week. The 2019 American Idol contestant was accompanied by Jason Kertson on guitar while singing originals and covers. Be on the lookout for Ruthie’s EP to be released next year. You can watch her sing with Keith Urban at the Washington State Fair HERE.
Ingrid Michaelson brought her Dramatic Tour to the Showbox at the Market last week. She and her five-member backing band were on the road in support of her ninth studio album, Stranger Songs. The always witty Michaelson kept the crowd on their toes throughout the sold-out performance. American Idol, Season 16 winner – Maddie Poppe – opened.
Fremont Abbey hosted an evening of mostly acoustic music by candlelight on January 19, 2019. It was a full house, and when the standing room ran out in the back of the venue, fans started sitting on the hardwood floor beside the stage.
Norwegian singer–songwriter Thomas Dybdahl opened with a soulful solo set of guitar and vocals, plus one song on piano. Dybdahl often plays with a full backing band, but his breathy crooning and strumming resonated easily throughout the church. “I am a professional, so of course I have a set list,” he said dryly as he fished the paper out of his pocket. Based in the southwestern city of Stavanger, Dybdahl is a popular musician in his home country. His English-language songs make his work accessible in the U.S., and although they have been a little slower to catch on here, Dybdahl has toured (and briefly resided) in the States for years and been recognized by Billboard, NPR, and the L.A.Times. Self-deprecating in his delivery, Dybdahl joked that he was taking requests if anyone had heard of his music, and seemed surprised when an audience member shouted, “Cecilia!” Dybdahl played the soft ballad “Moving Pictures” first, and then continued with the request. Dybdahl is touring in support of his August 2018 album, All These Things.
Thomas Dybdahl – photo by Lisa Hagen Glynn
Nashville-based Americana guitarist Lera Lynn played the second set, accompanied by guitarist Todd Lombardo. “All right. We’re going to play some artsy, depressing music for you,” she deadpanned. Lynn’s dark themes and lyrics definitely stood in contrast to her vocal sweetness, which provided a welcome edge to more standard country music. Between tunes, Lynn was irreverent and witty, with a bit about a Phoenix burrito that tasted like boiled water, a confession that she was embarrassed about wearing an Apple watch onstage but didn’t want to miss counting any steps, and a sincere (and mostly successful) promise to try to avoid swearing at the all-ages event. In June of 2018, Lynn released Plays Well with Others, an album of duets with eight other artists that earned positive press from Rolling Stone and NPR. Dybdahl joined Lynn and Lombardo for the encore, and then they stayed after the show to sign CDs and greet a long line of fans.
Lera Lynn – photos by Lisa Hagen GlynnThomas Dybdahl – photos by Lisa Hagen GlynnShow Poster – photo by Lisa Hagen Glynn
Ruthie Craft – all photos by Kirk Stauffer
