95 North. . . The Newspaper

It's not often I see live music alone, which is funny, because often music is heard alone. It is an individual experience filtered through our headphones, as the current world gets erased and enriched by ideas & sound. However, seeing a live show is an exercise in community, energy, tone, spirit, and feeling. If you go alone, you are almost more free to witness the natural community that it forms, since everyone there is presumably a fan. I saw the Drive By Truckers play last night at Infinity Hall, a small venue in downtown Hartford, CT. There was no opening act- and around 8:30 the lights dimmed, the band banged on some loud chords, energized like race horses out of the starting gate. The songs bled into one another, a mesh of doom-filled power chords, melodic sidetracks, and stories straight from the gut. It was exactly what you'd expect from the grizzled veterans of the road, who still sound juiced by the chance to preform in front of a gracious, if not somewha...

I was lucky enough to catch the Blind Boys of Alabama with my old man on Saturday night. I'll include some pictures and video I was able to take at the show below. A bit of history: The Blind Boys originated in the late 1930s at an institute for the blind in Alabama, and have been cranking out beautiful gospel songs ever since. There are two surviving members: Clarence Fountain and Jimmy Carter (not the president, but he's cool too). The Blind Boys put on a heck of a show, and possess a remarkable amount of energy for fellas their age. It's amazing to think that Fountain and Carter have been singing together since the onset of World War II. They've seen America change. They only thing that hasn't changed in their sense of humor, deep spirituality, and their uncanny ability to put on an amazing live performance. When the curtains were pulled back and the Blind Boys took the stage, Carter stood up, took hold of the mic, and belted out a heart wrenching rendition ...