The Giant Panther

There's something ancient in M. Ward's songwriting. Everything about his recordings is intimate. Acoustic driven tracks recorded so you can hear the fingernails scratch across the strings, electric fills drenched in reverb with perfect Knopfler tone, pedal steel, brushed drums, and warm, inches from the mic vocals that have a slight hint of Tom Waits. Like all my favorite artists, there's no single genre label for M. Ward: folk, country, blues, all contribute to his sound.

Portland Oregon based Matt Ward is an old soul, and it shows in everything he touches, whether on his own albums, or co-producing efforts such as Jenny Lewis' Rabbit Fur Coat. I can't think of a better soundtrack to a long drive with the windows down on a summer night than Ward's Transistor Radio.

This will be my first M. Ward show, and first time at the Somerville Theatre (even though I lived in Davis Sq. for a year) but I'm anxiously awaiting this show. Be sure to visit the Ducat King website to pick up pre-sale tickets for this show. One of the most anticipated releases of the summer, Post-War comes out on August 22. Here's a track from that album along with a few other of my favorites.