Live Shows: Shovels & Rope, Prescott Park Arts Festival, Portsmouth, NH 8/31/18

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Photo by Ken Sears
Before last Friday I had technically seen Shovels & Rope three times. The first two were both at the Newport Folk Festival, but I only caught a handful of songs each time. The third was at the Green River Festival, but that is still a shortened festival performance. I had yet to see a full Shovels & Rope set, so when I saw they were playing at Prescott Park this year, I knew I had to make the trek up, even though it was the Friday of Labor Day weekend.

 Regardless of traffic, the trip was completely worth it. One of the great joys of Shovels & Rope live is watching the interplay between husband and wife Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst. The duo take turns switching between guitar, drums, keys, etc. I'm not sure if they ever have the same role in a song more than once in a row. This night the band dove deep into their catalog. Only two songs came from their most recent album (2016's Little Seeds). The majority came from O' Be Joyful and Swimmin' Time, but they even delved into their solo careers a bit ("When I..." by Trent and "The Thread" by Hearst.) Some of the highlights of the show came early on with "Tickin' Bomb" and "The Devil is All Around." Dedicating "I'm Coming Out" to the LBGT community seemed to annoy some of the crowd in Conservative New Hampshire, but by "Hail Hail" any right wing worries were eradicated. That song will always be a barn burning crowd pleaser. The band performed a short two song encore which included a cover of Chuck Berry's beyond iconic "You Never Can Tell." Just one cover was a bit surprising since this is a band that has made two covers albums in the recent past. But, after finally seeing a full 90 minute Shovels & Rope show, I made the long Friday night drive home satisfied and happy.

On Repeat...

The New Limits - "Normal Day"

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Photo via Facebook According to their Bandcamp profile, The New Limits are a "Boston ska band with a taste for rocksteady, reggae, soul, and rock n roll." They just released a single that shows off their sound perfectly. "Normal Day" is a laid back ska song dripping with soul. You know that joke that goes around every few months saying that ska is the sound that plays in a twelve year old's head when they get an extra mozzarella stick? The New Limits are the grown up version of that sound. This is ska/rocksteady for adults. It's ultra chilled out music with some of the best horns in the city. Even if you haven't listened to ska since your youth, you need to check out "Normal Day." This might help re-open the entire genre to you. The New Limits say of their latest single: " What is normal, anyway? Some of us just want a nine-to-five. Others cry at the thought. 'Normal Day' has nothing to do with quarantine and lots to do with figuri...
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Brennen Leigh - "Dumpster Diving"

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Photo by Lyza Renee Brennen Leigh has quickly become a favorite of ours, with her take on a classic country sound with a slight sense of humor. Her latest single, "Dumpster Diving," which she describes as a "trashy little tune," is everything we love about the musician. It's a vintage style country song that comes in at a punk like one minute, forty-eight seconds. With a chorus of "Dumpster diving, this ain't gonna last / Dumpster diving, 'cause baby you like trash..." how can you possibly resist. Leigh's latest gives us a decades old sound with modern sensibilities and her fantastic voice that's tailor made for this genre of music. It's almost like a collaboration between Loretta Lynn and Shel Silverstein, and who doesn't want to hear that? You can hear "Dumpster Diving" below. Don't You Ever Give Up On Love  is due out October 3 on Signature Sounds, and is available for pre-order here . For more on Brennen Leigh,...
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The Beths - "Mother, Pray for Me"

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Photo by Annabel Kean For their latest single, New Zealand's The Beths have released "Mother, Pray for Me." This is a heartbreaking ballad consisting of Elizabeth Stokes' vocals and guitar with just the slightest hint of organ. It's a deeply personal song for Stokes, made obvious with how intimately the song comes across. It truly feels almost confessional, and it's quite simply beautiful. The Beths are most known for huge little indie rock gems perfect for bopping along to, but "Mother, Pray for Me" is quite the opposite. Stokes' vocals and lyrics are right up front on this one, and I can't imagine it any other way. Elizabeth Stokes says of her latest single: “I cried the whole time writing it. It's not really about my mother, it's about me — what I hope our relationship is, what I think it is, what it maybe actually is, and what I can or can't expect out of it.   “My mother is a first gen Indonesian immigrant, and very Catholic....
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