Tuesday night, after a long dinner outside at the Boulevard Woodgrill, I headed across the street into Iota Club & Cafe for Justin Trawick and the release show for his new CD “How to Build a Life with a Lemonade Stand.” I walked in just as he was setting into the first songs of the night, some hard-played acoustic guitar backed up by an upright bass, a piano, some drums and the occasional cello. What makes Justin shine is the aural texture of his band, they provide the velvet texture necessary for his sandpapery voice. The deep bass and low melodic sound of the cello and piano provide the perfect counterpoint for Trawick’s Jason Mraz-esque patter lyrics, something that Mraz’s songs often lacked, and make it a real experience. Better still, hope that Trawick is performing with Malik from one of DC’s finest hip-hop outfits, as together they provide lightning fast lyrical mastery in front of one of the best instrumental combos I’ve seen around lately.
Check out Trawick tonight at 10:30 at The Tombs, or tomorrow night at the Loft in Frederickburg, VA. Make sure to pick up his CD and support a local artist, besides, it’s absolutely gorgeous cover art.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
