Fri 10/11: Sarah Jarosz at Old Town School of Folk Music
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Sarah Jarosz, a 22-year-old bluegrass and folk singer and mandolinist, is playing an all-ages show at the Old Town School. “Some of Jarosz’s lyrics have a cosmic streak, but her dynamic arrangements and adaptations of traditional forms keep the music grounded—whether it’s the rippling mountain soul and message of self-empowerment in ‘Fuel the Fire’ or the acid twang of Dan Dugmore’s electric guitar puncturing the ambling folk of the romantic reverie ‘Mile on the Moon,’” writes Peter Margasak. “She wrote most of the material, and her covers of Bob Dylan’s ‘Simple Twist of Fate’ and Joanna Newsom’s ‘The Book of Right-On’ demonstrate a rare ability to remake songs attached to extremely distinctive voices so that they’re something all her own. On [her new album, Build Me Up From Bones], Jarosz enlists a slew of impressive supporting players—among them guitarist Darrell Scott, bassist Viktor Krauss, singer Aoife O’Donovan, and Dobro master Jerry Douglas—but she also sounds great in the nimble working trio she’ll bring to this gig, with cellist Nathaniel Smith and fiddler Alex Hargreaves.”
Italian electronic-music pioneers Goblin make a highly anticipated stop at Metro this weekend—on their first North American tour ever. Says Monica Kendrick, “Goblin’s innovative approach to synth-rock and creepy ambient arrangements has influenced a generation of artists tinkering with sound and painting aural scenery. This belated cult appreciation has apparently built to a point where it’s enough to persuade this 41-year-old band to embark on their first North American tour—as far as I’m concerned, it’s the event of the year. You might want to sleep with the lights on afterward.”