Smart Bets: The Dex Romweber Duo

The Dex Romweber Duo is “a creepy doll collection of surf, proto-rockabilly, garage, dark and vengeful blues, and nobody but nobody plays it like Dex,” according to a press release. Romweber, formerly of Flat Duo Jets, plays guitar while his “whip-wristed” sister, Sara Romweber (formerly of Let’s Active) finesses the drums. Together, they make music […]

Vinyl versus the air: Sean Hayes on change, solo shows and returning to the South

Singer-songwriter Sean Hayes has been crafting his soul-tinged songs for more than two decades. “I think one of the challenges of working at home alone is you can get a lost in your own world,” he says of the new experience of recording in his own studio. But a forthcoming project is currently on hold for a string of shows that brings Hayes back to The Grey Eagle on Tuesday, May 6.

Still digable

Digable Planets would disband just a few years later after its 1993 Grammy-winning crossover smash “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat),” with its three members each going onto to their own solo careers. Cee Knowledge, who went by Doodlebug in the group, will be playing a show with his Cosmic Funk Orchestra at The Grey Eagle on Thursday, April 24.

Sound Track web extra: Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs

The Athens, Ga.-based duo claimed to be rusty when they took the Grey Eagle stage (not so: They opened with a fierce rendition of the Piedmont Blues song “Crow Jane”). They claimed they hadn’t been practicing much. Also untrue, but Holly and her one-man-backing-band Lawyer Dave (on guitar, vocals and a couple of kick drums) do create this casual atmosphere, like this is their front porch and you just happened to wander past.

Blame it on Holly Golightly (she plays The Grey Eagle in Friday, April 11)

Now, 20-plus albums into her career, Golightly has just released It’s Her Fault. Don’t expect it to sound radically different from earlier releases, says a press release. “It’s still a raw, rough-hewn stew of twisted roots music forged by the duo’s distinct musical interests…” Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs play The Grey Eagle on Friday, April 11. 9 p.m., $10/$12. The Shine Brothers also perform.

Seeing the Lighght: Kishi Bashi in Asheville

The thing about a Kishi Bashi concert is that you don’t necessarily have to be familiar with the songs to get the show. In fact, there’s something to be said for coming into contact with a Kishi Bashi (the project of singer-songwriter/violinist/composer K Ishibashi) song for the first time. They’re not so much songs in the verse-chorus-verse sense as tiny worlds encapsulated in sound that ranges from bubbly pop to sweeping classical composition. The Athens, Ga.-based musician played The Grey Eagle on Tuesday in advance of his new album, “Lighght”; Tall Tall Trees opened.

The Dave Rawlings Machine at The Grey Eagle

The five-piece iteration of the band took to the stage shortly after 8 p.m. on Friday night and opened with “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” It’s a song often reserved for the end of the night. But in this case, it set forth the evening’s familial tone as front man Rawlings lead the newest lineup of his ever-evolving Machine through a two-and-a-half-hour old-time music marathon. Photo from the band’s Facebook page.