Mondays at the Echo are always fun. Ramonda Hammer just began their residency this past week, The Blank Tapes having just recently finished up theirs the week prior. What else was notable about that last night in March? Two words: Imaad Wasif.
The venue glowed in a cool, white-blue light, matching the aloof nature of the night’s first performer. Imaad Wasif is a powerful rock musician whose performance woke everyone up for sure. His guitar rang loudly against a wall of drums, his voice competing with both. He has a wide back catalogue, but what stood out to me was his performance of “Dream Metal” from his LP Dzi, which came out last spring. (Watch a clip on my new Instagram which you should totally follow.) Knowing that the record’s conception was a demon-adjacent mystery, Wasif’s calm execution of it live that night felt like a miracle, or anything else that may suddenly strike us with awe.
Sawdust & Gin 