Photo by Samantha MarbleJust five days into the new year and Vortex’s live music calendar is already filling up. My first pick of 2015 features a singer-songwriter who I’ve long adored (and previously wrote about the last time she visited the Doug Fir): Waxahatchee, otherwise known as Katie Crutchfield.
Even though she didn’t release a record in 2014 (her previous effort, Cerulean Salt, was released in 2013 to glowing critical acclaim), that doesn't mean Crutchfield wasn’t busy. First, there was a slew of dates opening for indie queen Jenny Lewis, which would have been exciting unto itself, but that was quickly followed by news that Crutchfield had signed to Merge Records. For those of you unfamiliar with Merge, the Durham, N.C., based record label is home to such indie luminaries as Arcade Fire and Neutral Milk Hotel (amongst many others), and as such, Crutchfield’s leap from punk label Don Giovanni Records over to Merge is certainly the first step towards her gaining larger notoriety. This momentum was carried over into 2015 when—just yesterday—Crutchfield released a trailer for her upcoming album. While the album still remains untitled, if the trailer is any indication, it is certainly shaping up to be as good as Cerulean Salt.
If you're disappointed that the trailer ends after just 54 seconds, fear not: Relief comes in the form of Waxahatchee live on Tuesday, January 6 at the Doug Fir as part of Red Bull’s always excellent Sound Select series, this one curated by indie radio purveyors XRAY.fm.
Tickets are only $3 if you RSVP, so do it while you can and hopefully you'll get a preview of what could be one of 2015’s best records. Waxahatchee will also be joined by Portland garage rock trio The Ghost Ease and the moody, synthy Us Lights. All three bands are sure to be an excellent way to start your new year.
