Music Top 5: January 2023

1
POI DOG PONDERING
(Thalia Hall)
The genre-embracing ensemble hits the Thalia Hall stage just days after the planned release of its long-awaited new album—about which, at press time, details remain spare and expectations stratospheric.
January 27-28

2
EIGHTH BLACKBIRD
(City Winery)
Among the works to be performed by the acclaimed new-music sextet is Jonathan Bailey Holland’s “The Clarity of Cold Air,” which is “inspired by many a cold, Northern Midwest day.” Good fit for this particular mid-month.
January 18

3
WALLIS BIRD
(The Hideout)
The irrepressible Irish singer-songwriter tours her latest album, “Hands,” which covers her journey from victimhood (a childhood accident left her with one hand impaired) to channeling her limitations into dazzling strengths.
January 20

4
THE BROTHER BROTHERS
(Evanston SPACE)
On their recent album of covers—entitled, appropriately, “Cover to Cover”—Adam and David Moss position themselves as heirs to James Taylor, Jackson Browne and Judee Sill. And they’ve got the chops to make it stick.
January 17

5
CASS McCOMBS
(Thalia Hall)
The singer-songwriter tours his latest album, “Heartmind,” which marks his entry into a more mature, reflective phase, focusing on aging and loss—though he still sounds astonishingly youthful, and the tunes feel fresh and vital.
January 18

Robert Rodi

Robert Rodi is an author, spoken-word performer and musician who has served as Newcity’s Music Editor since 2014. He’s written more than a dozen books, including the travel memoir “Seven Seasons In Siena,” and his literary and music criticism has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, Salon, The Huffington Post and many other national and regional publications.
Contact: robert@newcity.com