Josh Ritter & the Royal City Band

No upcoming concerts for josh-ritter

Other Upcoming Shows

Jim Gaffigan: Barely Alive Tour

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Wed Apr 17th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Thu Apr 18th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri Apr 19th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri Apr 19th - 10:00 PM Doors Open - 9:00 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sat Apr 20th - 4:00PM Doors Open - 3:00 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sat Apr 20th - 7:00PM Doors Open - 6:00 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sun Apr 21st - 4:00PM Doors Open - 3:00 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sun Apr 21st - 7:00PM Doors Open - 6:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$59.75 - 99.75

EMO ORCHESTRA feat. ESCAPE THE FATE

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Mon Apr 22nd - 8:00PM Doors Open - 7:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$40 - $55

I’ve Had It: The Hot Shit Tour

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Tue Apr 23rd - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$39 - $97

Anthony Jeselnik: Bones and All

Rescheduled from December 6-7

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Wed Apr 24th - 7:00PM Doors Open - 6:00 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Wed Apr 24th - 9:30PM Doors Open - 8:30 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$47 - $77

Alan Doyle: Welcome Home Tour w/ special guest Adam Baldwin

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Thu Apr 25th - 8:00PM Doors Open - 7:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$35 - $55

Drew Lynch

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri Apr 26th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$28 - $36

Are You Garbage: Thru the Roof Tour

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sat Apr 27th - 7:00PM Doors Open - 6:00 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sat Apr 27th - 9:45PM Doors Open - 8:45 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$30 - $37

Max Amini

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sun Apr 28th - 7:00PM Doors Open - 6:00 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sun Apr 28th - 9:30PM Doors Open - 8:30 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$42 - $112

Ghosts: Do You Believe?

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Thu May 2nd - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$26 - $55

Seth Meyers

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri May 3rd - 7:00PM Doors Open - 6:00 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri May 3rd - 9:45PM Doors Open - 8:45 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sat May 4th - 7:00PM Doors Open - 6:00 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sat May 4th - 9:45PM Doors Open - 8:45 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$39 - $59

Buddy Guy: Damn Right Farewell

Rescheduled from 10/3

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Mon May 6th - 8:00PM Doors Open - 7:00 PM
Openers: Tom Hambridge
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$75 - $125

Lyle Lovett and Lisa Loeb: In Conversation and Song

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Tue May 7th - 8:00PM Doors Open - 7:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$65 - $89

Todd Rundgren: ME/WE

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Wed May 8th - 8:00PM Doors Open - 7:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$55 - $219

Cat & Nat’s May Soiree

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Thu May 9th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$50 - $125

Justin Silva

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri May 10th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri May 10th - 10:00PM Doors Open - 9:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$30 - $75

Aries Spears

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sat May 11th - 7:00PM Doors Open - 6:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$26 - $36

Monét X Change: Life Be Lifin’

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Tue May 14th - 8:00PM Doors Open - 7:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$38 - $48

Asi Wind: Incredibly Human

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Thu May 16th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$55 - $95

Madeleine Peyroux

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri May 17th - 8:00PM Doors Open - 7:00 PM
Openers: Joy Clark
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$55 - $85

Robyn Schall

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sat May 18th - 7:00PM Doors Open - 6:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$29 - $49

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sun May 19th - 7:00PM Doors Open - 6:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$40 - $60

DeRay Davis

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri May 24th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$40

Buckethead

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sat May 25th - 8:00PM Doors Open - 7:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Partly seated
PRICE:
$47 - $55

Kathleen Hanna: Rebel Girl Book Tour

Moderated by Imani Perry; Each ticket includes a copy of "Rebel Girl" book

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Tue May 28th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$42

Jeff Arcuri

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Wed May 29th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Thu May 30th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Thu May 30th - 10:00 PM Doors Open - 9:00 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri May 31st - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri May 31st - 10:00 PM Doors Open - 9:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$29 - $49

Desi Banks: The Purpose Chaser Tour

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sat Jun 1st - 8:00PM Doors Open - 7:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$41 - $81

Mr. Joe Jackson Presents: Joe Jackson Solo & The Music of Max Champion

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Tue Jun 4th - 8:00PM Doors Open - 7:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$65 - $95

Jazz Is Dead

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Thu Jun 6th - 8:00PM Doors Open - 7:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$40 - $65

Joe Pera: The PERAS Tour

Recommended for a 16+ audience

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri Jun 7th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sat Jun 8th - 7:00PM Doors Open - 6:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$37 - $47

Comedy Bang! Bang! – The Bang! Bang! Into Your Mouth Tour 2024

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Thu Jun 13th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$39.75 - $169.75

HaHa Davis

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri Jun 14th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$35 - $45

Lil Duval

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sat Jun 15th - 7:00PM Doors Open - 6:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$40 - $50

GEORGE THOROGOOD & THE DESTROYERS “Bad All Over The World – 50 Years of Rock”

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Tue Jun 18th - 8:00PM Doors Open - 7:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$65 - $185

The Musical Box

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Wed Jun 19th - 8:00PM Doors Open - 7:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$50 - $75

The 2 Johnnies Podcast World Tour 2024

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri Jun 21st - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$40 - $50

Michael Blackson

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sat Jun 22nd - 7:00PM Doors Open - 6:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$51 - $91

Corinne Bailey Rae: Plum Red Lipstick Tour

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sun Jun 23rd - 7:00PM Doors Open - 6:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$40 - $69

Pod Save America Live: The Democracy or Else Tour

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri Jun 28th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$49 - $199

Lovett or Leave It: Live and on Tour

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri Jun 28th - 10:00 PM Doors Open - 9:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$49 - $229

UB40

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Wed Jul 3rd - 8:00PM Doors Open - 7:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Partly seated
PRICE:
$57 - $242

The Moody Blues’ John Lodge

Rescheduled from 3/17. All tickets honored for the new date.

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri Jul 26th - 7:00PM Doors Open - 6:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$50 - $175

OUR HOUSE: The Music of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Wed Aug 14th - 8:00PM Doors Open - 7:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$40 - $65

Games with Names Live

with Julian Edelman

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri Aug 30th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri Aug 30th - 10:00 PM Doors Open - 9:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$39 - $199

Old Gods of Appalachia

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Wed Sep 4th - 8:00PM Doors Open - 7:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$39 - $149

Sam Jay

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sat Sep 7th - 7:00PM Doors Open - 6:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$26 - $36

Randy Feltface: First Banana Tour

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Thu Sep 12th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$35 - $45

Hans Kim

Rescheduled from 5/10. All tickets honored.

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri Sep 13th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$30 - $40

Cowboy Bebop Live: Presented by the Bebop Bounty Big Band

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sat Sep 14th - 7:00PM Doors Open - 6:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$29 - $49

Laura Ramoso: Sit Up Straight Tour

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Wed Sep 18th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Thu Sep 19th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$29 - $45

Charlie Berens: Good Old Fashioned Tour

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri Sep 20th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$29 - $39

Wanda Sykes: Please & Thank You Tour

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sat Sep 21st - 8:00PM Doors Open - 7:00 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sun Sep 22nd - 8:00PM Doors Open - 7:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$49 - $99

Lewis Black: Goodbye Yeller Brick Road, The Final Tour

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sat Sep 28th - 7:00PM Doors Open - 6:00 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sun Sep 29th - 7:00PM Doors Open - 6:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$49 - $89

Heather McDonald: The Juicy Scoop Experience

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sun Oct 6th - 7:00PM Doors Open - 6:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$35 - $85

Robin Trower

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Tue Oct 8th - 8:00PM Doors Open - 7:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$49 - $69

My Therapist Ghosted Me

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Thu Oct 10th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$37 - $47

Matt McCusker

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri Oct 18th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri Oct 18th - 10:00 PM Doors Open - 9:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$29 - $39

Sheng Wang

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sat Oct 19th - 7:00PM Doors Open - 6:00 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sat Oct 19th - 9:45PM Doors Open - 8:45 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$32.50 - $42.50

Duncan Trussell

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri Nov 1st - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$30 - $40

Noel Miller: New Supply Tour

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Thu Nov 7th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$39 - $49

Kathleen Madigan: The Potluck Party

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri Nov 15th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$36.75 - $61.75

Whitney Cummings: Big Baby

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri Nov 22nd - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri Nov 22nd - 10:00 PM Doors Open - 9:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$39 - $59

Ryan Hamilton

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sat Nov 23rd - 7:00PM Doors Open - 6:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$25 - $35

Chris Botti

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri Nov 29th - 8:00PM Doors Open - 7:00 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$59 - $89

Morgan Jay: Aphrodesia Tour

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri Dec 13th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$36.50 - $56.50

Girls Gotta Eat: No Crumbs Tour

Tickets on sale now!

The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri Dec 20th - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Fri Dec 20th - 10:00 PM Doors Open - 9:00 PM
The Wilbur Theatre Located at
246 Tremont St, Boston, MA.
Phone: 617-248-9700
Sat Dec 21st - 7:30PM Doors Open - 6:30 PM
SEAT TYPE: Fully seated
PRICE:
$44.50 - $77

Bio

Josh Ritter & the Royal City Band Fever Breaks, the tenth studio album from acclaimed singer and songwriter Josh Ritter, will be released April 26th. Produc

Josh Ritter & the Royal City Band

Fever Breaks, the tenth studio album from acclaimed singer and songwriter Josh Ritter, will be released April 26th. Produced by Grammy Award-winning musician Jason Isbell, the 10-song record was recorded at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A.

“It’s classic Ritter on Muscle Shoals-bred steroids.” – Rolling Stone

Penny and Sparrow:

There are things that we ought to be afraid of.  Things that, rightfully, send cold sweat nightmares.  For kids it can be anything from the darkness under a bed, or strangers, or crossing a busy street.  For adults it might change face a bit and become things like sickness, job security, or heartbreak.  And sometimes, when you point the flashlight right at the thing you’re terrified of, you declaw it.  You take its mask off and it returns to being an empty, boring closet with nothing inside to harm you.  Or maybe the light shows an unexpected beauty in the place of what you thought was horrific. Other times, though, you aim the beam straight into the pitch black and the thing that you prayed wasn’t real, the one with all the teeth, is right there smiling at you.

Texas born duo Penny and Sparrow know these things, and on their 2017 release Wendigo they turn the lights off on purpose and hunt for what’s really there in the dark.  With a musical maturity that has been honed over half a decade and hundreds of live shows, Kyle Jahnke and Andy Baxter are presenting their most sonically diverse & ambitious album yet.  Rejoined by Chris Jacobie (producer and engineer of their albums Creature, Tenboom, Struggle Pretty & Christmas Songs) Penny & Sparrow delve into numerous new and eclectic soundscapes throughout Wendigo, without sacrificing the sharp and deep reaching honesty that’s accompanied their body of work thus far.

 

From the quarter kick laden “Salome and Saint Procula”, to the pitched-down vibe of “Kin” and all the way to the hypnotically instrumental portion of “There’s a lot of us in here”, it’s obvious that Penny and Sparrow have again expanded their musical palette.  Thematically, Baxter’s word bank reaches further than on previous albums.  From the trilogy of songs humanizing the Grim Reaper (“Visiting” “Smitten” “Moniker”) and cascading down to the Urban Legend love song “Wendigo”, the intersection of daily grit and supernatural fable is analyzed in depth.  On the back half of the record, Jahnke’s melodic leadership extends even deeper into beauty and surprise.  With seamless transitions marking the tracks from  “A Kind of Hunger” to “Let Me Be Crucial”, Jahnke arranged a six song musical terrain that is both complex in its varied offerings and impressive in its execution.

Trademark witticism and playfulness stitch together a Penny and Sparrow live experience. Baxter and Jahnke possess the unique ability to make a large venue, such as a recent opening slot at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium, feel as intimate as a cozy listening room.  The enthusiastic standing ovation the duo received that night exhibits the connection Penny and Sparrow make, even with a new audience.  This is due, in no small part, to the aforementioned levity they bring to stage each night.  As it turns out, the juxtaposition of introspective lyrics with comedic asides in between has proven a winning cocktail.  Listeners find themselves vacillating between thought provoking consideration and well earned laughter at any Penny and Sparrow performance.  When asked why this flow accompanies their live performance, the duo nonchalantly replies, “Because that’s honest. Life is not all simple ease or heavy gloom. To laugh and cry back and forth is pretty true assessment of how this life goes.”  Both Baxter and Jahnke know the value of cathartic music, yet, with seeming ease they read a room and know when it’s time to speak joy and lead an audience to laughter.

Arriving a year and a half after Let a Lover Drown You, their Muscle Shoals recorded, John Paul White produced 2015 album, Wendigo was born from healing and heat.  Having moved to Florence, Alabama to record in the Single Lock studio, Baxter and Jahnke found themselves with time off in their first boiling Alabama summer. Exhausted from touring and life-weary in general, the duo turned to songwriting for catharsis.  A makeshift recording rig was set up in the living room of their shared home and the duo began workshopping song after song.  Over the course of that summer, while their wives (and a dog named Gator) bustled around the microphone during sessions, the bones of the record were set.  The original plan was to listen to the rough tracks and eventually redo everything cleaner.  That desire changed though as they fell in love with the honest sounds of cooking, old door hinges, silverware clinking, and the rest of their Alabama home noise.  As affection for the demo’s grew, Baxter and Jahnke realized that they wanted to keep as much of them as possible. Thus, listening to Wendigo is hearing the honest soundtrack for a real season in the life of two families.  The footsteps, the creaking and the din of supper prep heard throughout the songs all reinforce the sense of integrity that has long been a staple of the band.  Wendigo will be Penny and Sparrow’s 5th full-length album.  Beginning as therapeutic demos in northern Alabama and ending as a fully realized project at Jacobie’s home studio in San Antonio,TX, this record leaves the duo smirking and feeling accomplished.

The creature with which this album shares its name is a shape shifter.  One moment it looks completely normal and the next it’s all fangs and gore.  In an instant it can slip it’s skin and go back and forth from ominous and ugly to hope and lovely.  Life can be like that. Hell, all of us can be like that.  Knowing this, Penny and Sparrow offer Wendigo as the flashlight you can arm yourself with.  Use it to see what’s worth fearing and what was actually beautiful all along.  Shine it into whatever patch of darkness scares you.  For better or worse, at least you’ll know what’s there.

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