In 2017, Near Northeast released True Mirror (Etxe Records), the band’s second album along with Indali Variations 1-8, a cassette single featuring meditative ambient music. I regard it as a musical statement constructed of melodic building blocks - from the chunky rock of the opener, “Impala,” to the delicate guitar instrumental, “Point Reyes,” and full-on rock and roll of “Little Sister.” An eclectic mix of musical styles, the album bursts with talent and ideas, but suffers from a lack of cohesiveness. The result was their first full-length album, Curios, released in 2015. Shortly after meeting several years ago while playing a South Asian music festival at the Kennedy Center, Avy, Kelly, and Austin began forming the initial ideas about a band that would build on their respective, and diverse, influences: Indian, Appalachian, Latin American, and American blues rock. Labels mean nothing, though, for Near Northeast’s music resists genre categorization. In Cabin Sessions’ case, that place is the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and Maryland where the album was recorded. Takunda and Kelly combine to produce gorgeous harmonies that, on repeated listening, reveal lyrical and compositional subtleties that transcends Near Northeast’s self-described “melodic-ambient-folky-rock sound.”Īnyone who’s a devotee of David Crosby may find parallels with his debut album, If Only I Could Remember My Name, in that the songs all evoke a sense of place. See Near Northeast perform “Shelter” live on YouTube:Ĭabin Sessions is a collaboration with Nashville-based Zimbabwean-American songwriter Takunda Matose and represents a departure of sorts from the band’s previous two albums.Īlthough Avy has described it a “folkie wooden music,” the band channels its broad-based influences into a cohesive sound and statement. “Shadow,” another new song followed, with the short set concluding with the stunning “Shelter,” another new song recorded for the band’s submission to NPR’s 2019 Tiny Desk Contest. Sung as a duet on the album, Kelly handled the vocals beautifully while the instrumentation, a combination of guitar, cello and Austin’s electronics built slowly to the song’s lovely, subdued conclusion. The next song, “Electric,” from their 2019 release, Cabin Sessions, was a gorgeous ballad with lyrics to break your heart (“ Don’t think for a minute you’ll get away untouched, don’t think for a minute”). The first two songs - “Crane” and “Name Form” - were new pieces that were well received by the audience, many of whom were there specifically for Near Northeast. Though their set was disappointingly short (the curse of the opening band), the performance was exceedingly polished, including “rehearsed” stage banter between Avy Mallik (guitars), Kelly Servick (cello, violin, vocals), Austin Blanton (bass, volca keys, organelle, pocket operator drum machine, vocals), and Antonio Skarica (percussion).
My first show of 2020 found me at Comet Pizza Ping Pong for Near Northeast’s first show of the year on Jan. Since 2016, when I first became acquainted with this DC-based quartet, I’ve become a devoted fan of their extraordinarily crafted music. Watching and hearing Near Northeast’s evolution has been a wonderful musical journey. Near Northeast performs at Comet Ping Pong on Jan.
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