February 11, 6 PM
First coming together on a late October evening when Vince Herman wandered into the Walrus Saloon in Boulder, Colorado, after being enticed by a sign reading “Bluegrass Music Here Tonight,” and met Drew Emmitt, whose band was playing that night, the pair have been reshaping the musical landscape ever since. First at house parties and the campgrounds at festivals, then in Emmitt’s bluegrass outfit the Left Hand String Band, before coming together and forming the legendary roots band Leftover Salmon on New Years Eve thirty years ago.
The Capitol Groove Collective, made up of various contributors from Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia, just released their first collaborative effort in response to a climate of political upheaval, disagreements on basic human rights, police brutality, and a pandemic in the hopes that music will continue to be effective in delivering a message of hope and strength for the people.
Ian Abel (pronounced “able”) is the queer fantasy lovechild of an East Village comic book nerd with a heart of gold. He was brought up in the East Village of NYC, raised on a steady diet of R&B, soul, and alternative rock. As an effeminate little 4th grader, he grooved to Destiny’s Child, bopped to the Spice Girls, and plumbed the depths of angst with Alanis. For well over a decade, Ian has been an artist and performer. He has performed around the world and with greats like Nile Rodgers, Jimmy Fallon, and the SNL band. He has sung onstage at Carnegie Hall, on Chinese national television, and in festivals in Sun Valley, New York, and Edinburgh.
In his newest track he sings about getting over his ex in a tender, uplifting, and powerfully driving ballad “Mirror Mirror,” released today. The confessional, pining track came from an experience Abel had years after his first big breakup while sifting through old emails.
Painting in broad strokes of lush guitars, bright melodies, cinematic and intimate lyrics, and shimmering rhythms, the Virginia duo—Nathan Towles and Cole Young —often pose and ponder a key question during the creative process… “What’s the location?” asks Nathan. “Songs always bring me to a very specific place. So, we try to put listeners in a physical space. Their ears inform where their imaginations go. Maybe you’re cruising on the freeway or walking around during the blue hour. There’s introspection, but it’s communal.”
Alchemical Records is a Washington, D.C. based music publication. We cover the Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, VA metro area music scenes, including band interviews, articles about your favorite musicians, new music and concert dates.
