Photos | The Silks + Smith&Weeden @ The Kitchen Sessions

Photos by Boston Concert Photography

Some rainy Saturday nights it just doesn’t pay to wander outside your door. You’re better off getting cozy and watching a bad movie in your living room. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that if on that rainy Saturday night there’s a Kitchen Session going on, it always pays to venture out into the world.

This was precisely the case last weekend. After bundling up, I grabbed my camera and a few beers and headed off to watch two of Providence, Rhode Island’s best new bands — The Silks and Smith&Weeden — play in a friends living room, inches from the crowd. And I’m damn glad I did.

If you’ve never been to a house show, the experience is the ultimate in musical intimacy. A very small group of people, tightly packed together to watch a band (or several bands) strut their stuff in a space normally reserved for watching those second tier movies. The chance to be part of the performance is second to none. You’re eye to eye and shoulder to shoulder with the people who are crafting the tunes you want to hear over and over again as you pass through your work week. It doesn’t get much better than that if you’re a music fan.

Smith&Weeden kicked things off with their own fantastic brand of Americana Country Rock (yah, I know… just go with it.) They’ll be releasing their debut LP in May and — trust me on this one — you’re going to want to pick it up. With tight harmonies, catchy hooks, and great stories, these guys aren’t going anywhere but up. Find them online, go see a show and buy me a t-shirt.

Looking to get your face melted? Well that’s what The Silks will do for you. This power trio is rock ‘n roll reborn. Tyler-James Kelly, Jonas Parmelee and Matthew Donnelly have already hit a stride that a lot of groups probably never find. They’re able to produce that fantastic 70’s rock sound in a way that doesn’t feel fabricated or dishonest in any way. I believe these guys, Tyler especially, live life exactly the way they play their music – loud, proud, and unapologetic. That’s pretty damn refreshing these days.

It should be pretty hard to miss these guys if they come to your town. If you need to get out, get rowdy and have a good time, wherever these guys are is the place to be.

Both of these bands are ripe for bandwagon jumping, so get to it.

With the 50th (!) Kitchen Session just a few weeks away, there’s time to get on that train as well. Do some Googling and figure out how to get to the show. You’ll be glad you did.