Jake and Taylor Armerding Tearing Up The Cantab Tonight!

My latest shameless plug. Come to the Cantab tonight (2-20) for Jake and Taylor Armerding.

If you’ve just been to Joe Val and saw Taylor perform with Bluegrass Gospel Project, then you won’t want to miss Taylor playing with his son tonight. What makes Taylor Armerding so amazing is that he can play bluegrass gospel over the weekend and bluegrass versions of 80’s pop the following Tuesday. If you didn’t go to Joe Val and live in the area, then you definitely won’t want to miss tonight’s show.

Jake is a star in his own light. He also writes some of the best newsletters around.
This is what he said about tonight’s show:

Tuesday, February 20
Cantab Lounge, Central Square, Cambridge, MA. By now, most Bostonians know the best ‘grass in town is at the Cantab every Tuesday night. We’ll be jamming on our usual fusion of trad grass, originals, and eighties pop. (This week, we turn to those beloved synthesizer cowboys, Genesis.) With Taylor Armerding, Zack Hickman, Neil Cleary and Wes Corbett. 10pm, free ($5 donation suggested).

Jake is an excellent musican with a penchant for telling great stories as well. The musicans with him tonight are also stellar. I try to see Jake every time he plays around here and am never let down.

Zack Hickman and Barn Star

The Cantab 1/9 Feature

This show may not have appealed to traditional bluegrass purists but it was a hell of a lot of fun. Barn Star was truely All Star. The band drew a standing room only crowd at the small bar. There were even people sitting directly in front of the stage. The energy was contagious, so sweeping that I found myself dancing in my favorite spot to listen to music – behind the stage sitting next to my favorite bouncer.

The setlist included everything from “why you been gone so long?” and “City on a Hill” to Leonard Cohen’s “Everybody Knows” and various songs from the eighties including: “Jenny Jenny”, “Something to Believe” and “Centerfold.” All of the covers were done with a bluegrass twist and quite enjoyable. I find myself torn with these kinds of shows. I really love the high lonesome sound of traditional bluegrass and the dark ballads that fit so well with the uptempo music. I also have a weakness for covers and since the eighties is the decade I grew up in there is a nostalgia factor. So while I missed some of the more traditional tunes I appreciated the diversity of the music.

This was an excellent show even if it wasn’t truely bluegrass.

Tuesday at the Cantab

Tuesday Jan 9th looks to be a promising night at the Cantab. The feature is Zack Hickman and Barn Star ( Jake Armerding, Taylor Armerding, Adam Larrabee( Joy Kills Sorrow), and Jesse Harper of Old School Freight Train. Last time I saw Zack play he was helping back up Jake Armerding. It was a lethal combination. Taylor (Bluegrass Gospel Project) is always a pleasure to see live. Mix that all up with Zack’s vocals and playing and you’ve got a combination that will heat up the Cantab. Listen to “Your very own cowboy” and you will hear why this is a night at the Cantab you shouldn’t pass up.

The Cantab is the perfect divey bar to drink beer and listen to some picking. My only complaint about the Cantab is that people tend to talk too much and it makes it difficult to hear the music. The place can get pretty crowded so I recommend arriving early.

The Cantab is my favorite bar to hear bluegrass in Cambridge because it is the only place in the area that is still doing it on a regular basis. Anybody who tells you that you can’t hear quality bluegrass in New England should check out the Cantab.