Waxahatchee

There’s an argument to be made that honesty is what separates a good songwriter from a great one. It certainly shows the ones with the most belief in their songs, belief that the music and their confession can redeem themselves and bring comfort to others if they should need it. Their live performances also prove the bravest songwriters, and to my mind, there are few better examples of that than Katie Crutchfield, a songwriter who performs under the name Waxahatchee. Her songs are performed live as they appear on record, especially the ones from her bedroom recorded debut American Weekend. They’re sparse, raw and truly devastating to listen to from time to time as open as they are with Crutchfield’s experiences with heartbreak, grief and loneliness. Her shows begin with her alone onstage, taking the audience through those early tracks like Bathtub and Under A Rock with the intimidation of baring her soul like this to a room full of expectant strangers etched into her eyes. Yet she still does it. That’s true bravery to me and it makes every Waxahatchee show pretty much unmissable. There are moments during those songs, even after her backing band comes on and the sound fills out, where time seems to stand still and everyone in the room realizes something entirely new about their own lives. It’s awe-inspiring stuff, truly independent rock at it’s finest, and it deserves all the support it can get so see it as soon as possible.

I saw a version of Waxahatchee where Katie Crutchfield played with Bonny Doon as her backing band. The songs sounded different from the recordings - not better or worse, just naturally different. Songs from "Out in the Storm" were a little more mellow than they were when I saw her in 2017. Overall, it was nice to have a live experience be different from hearing album tracks - sometimes it seems like bands almost become cover versions of themselves when they try to re-create recordings on stage rather than let playing live naturally change the songs. But what I love about Waxahatchee are Katie's voice and her lyrics, and seeing her live was special. This was the first time I'd seen her since really getting into her music, and her voice is just wonderful and powerful. Like with most indie acts, I wish she'd played longer (I think she just made it to 60 minutes). I'd love for her to copy the Mountain Goats' set structure where she plays maybe 30 minutes with a band, then plays a few songs solo, and plays another 30 minutes with the band. And then at least 3 songs in an encore! And then maybe one more song, if we've earned it...

See the reviews here much better than I could put it! However the gig was a solo affair unlike her next gigs which will be full band. Radiator Hospital support were really good too, almost falsetto voice, he needed no amps in this beautiful venue

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jan/27/waxahatchee-review-frank-and-inspiring-diary-entry-songs

http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/live-reviews/waxahatchee-old-st-pancras-church-london-26-01-15

This was a great concert. Unsurprisingly, the majority of the set list was made up of songs from the new album Ivy Tripp. Even songs from the last two records were played more in the style of the new album, that is with full instrumentation. Where the fist two records had a confessional singer-songwriter vibe, the concert felt like a full band doing a set, which was a nice change of pace and made the evening more fun than it could have been otherwise.

Katie Crutchfield was solo for the show I saw and it was fantastic. She played a pretty even mix of old and new with a cover thrown in for fun. I loved seeing her in the small venue (maybe 100 people in the room) but would love to see her on a larger stage. She sounds just as good, if not better, live compared to her recordings. I would go see her again in a heartbeat, if you love her music it's worth the time and money spent.

A surprising amount of energy for a woman who writes so many sad songs. It was a treat to see Katie Crutchfield prance around stage, swinging her hair and dancing. The band was tight, the lights were gorgeous, and they unveiled many songs from the new record without compromising the familiarity of her past work. Overall a fantastic show!

The venue was perfect; outside on a mild Miami night. Waxahatchee was also perfect.. the sound was mixed well, distinctive and clear for a small club. The band was also distinctive and clear.. love the songs and they were arranged and played just as you wanted.. these women can rock..

This really should be clearly advertised as a solo-Katie Crutchfield tour than a tour by Waxahatchee.

While it was a lovely, quiet gig - those who go expecting a performance by the full Waxahatchee band might be a little disappointed; as I was.

They were amazing, Katie's voice is such a powerful and mesmerizing thing. A truly magical experience! Wish more amazing bands like theirs came to town. Bands like Waxahatchee truly deserve to be seen live. The true talent of the 21st century.

There was great energy at this show. Love that the sound live syncs with the studio albums in this day and age of studio wonders what can't replicate their sound live. Can't wait to see Waxahatchee live again.