If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Ken Sears In one of my most anticipated double bills all year, Marlon Williams came through Boston with Julia Jacklin. Pairing two Americana artists from New Zealand and Australia seems like such an obvious choice that it would never happen, but sometimes things just work out perfectly that way.  Any time you talk about Marlon Williams, you have to mention his voice. His voice is, quite simply, absolutely stunning. He has such a pure talent of singing that doesn't usually fit into the whole country/folk thing. It's like an American Idol crooner became obsessed after Hank Williams week. Not too many crooners sing songs about the only woman ever executed in New Zealand ("The Ballad of Minnie Dean"). He has the type of voice that gives him an immediate, obsessive and vocal female fanbase, which was out strong at Great Scott. It's a level of adoration usually reserved for the Justin Biebers of the world.  Photo by Ken Sears This dedication won...

Almost a year to the date of the last time Sallie Ford played in the Boston area , I headed out to Allston on a Wednesday to see her latest band. After seeing her with The Sound Outside on what ended up being their last tour, I wanted to check out her latest incarnation on their first Boston stop. Usually when an artist adds a keyboard player to their line up, it waters down the music and gives it a more mainstream sound. Somehow, Sallie Ford comes out even more raw and dirty with her new line up, including keyboards. Of course, one of the big questions was if she would play her older songs or just stick with her new line up and album. She did break out some of her previous band's songs, including "They Told Me," which really showcased her new, more raw sound. Her earlier, more bluesy sound has been replaced with an edge that's reaching just slightly into Stooges territory. Some of this has to be credited to her new drummer, Amanda Spring. It's like taking th...