photo by Geoff Wilbur

Danielle Miraglia and Bob Enik

Sanctuary Bar & Lounge, Maynard, MA

July 2, 2026

Danielle Miraglia was back last evening for the latest installment her “Drinks with Friends” series of first-Thursday performances at Sanctuary. Joining Danielle on this particular evening was fellow Charles River Reprobate Bob Enik. (Longtime readers may have seen my “bonus coverage” of the Reprobates at the bottom of my Los Goutos live review back in 2018.)

As an aside, for those here in the far western suburbs, if you’re not yet familiar with Sanctuary, check ’em out. This is a venue that brings a lot of metro Boston’s top musicians out to the outer suburbs, giving us a chance to catch top local artists without having to travel to Boston or Cambridge. Of course, there aren’t many local artists as “top” as Danielle Miraglia, and the appreciative crowd new that. (This particular night was a rare double-header. Usually the Sanctuary hosts early evening no-cover bar shows, 5:30 on weekdays, followed by ticketed big-stage shows at 8:00. Well, last night the 8:00 performance was another no-cover bar gig, featuring one of Boston’s most decorated Americana acts, the Sado-Domestics. Now, I had other plans, so I couldn’t stay for the late show, but I did review one of their Sanctuary bar gigs earlier this year. Top-friggin’-notch!

Enough sidebar – I’ll get on with the review: It seems as if I’m always a few minutes late to a 5:30 show at Sanctuary, and yesterday was no exception. I walked in while Danielle and Bob were playing Danielle’s original “Glimmer of Gold.” There were plenty of Danielle Miraglia originals in the evening’s performance; as you might expect, that pleased me.

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Next up, the duo dove into a pair of Bob Dylan tunes. First, a nifty, bluesy performance of “Tonight I’ll Be Staying Here With You.” Then, a little more slappy (hey, it’s an acoustic guitar thing) and a bit livelier tempoed performance – one that also featured that trademark Danielle Miraglia vocal smirk – of “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go.” And, while Bob’s guitarwork was rarely conspicuous and his flourishes never out of place, this song included the ideal spot for a well-placed Enik guitar-pickin’ run.

A nifty spin through “Cry” (from Nothing Romantic) was a thumping offering well-suited for this duo format; it was followed by a soulful, wailing, laid-back cover of the Rolling Stones’ “You Got the Silver.”

Next up was the rhythmic, stompin’ “Stagger Lee” It’s a great song for two guitars, allowing Bob to noodle a little while Danielle powered ahead, following by the perky, amusing “You Can Love Yourself,” the Keb Mo tune that appeared on Danielle’s Bright Shining Stars record.

The tone changed a little with full-on funky rhythmic fave “Monster,” a song that’s sooooo cool, even if it is a little painfully too topical at the moment. The first set closed with “Home,” an absolute crowd pleaser that audience always soaks in.

After a short break, the duo returned with a mishmashed combo of Prince’s “When You Were Mine” and the Stones’ “Shattered,” flowing back and forth between the two songs a couple of times, because of course leave it to Danielle Miraglia to find the proper interplay between two of her favorite artists.

“C.C. Rider” was a strong next choice, followed by a rendition of “All My Heroes Are Ghosts” that featured a slow, soulful lead-in, and a really slowed-down, achingly bluesy version of “Drive” that showed off Danielle’s vox.

A rollicking rendition of Big Mama Thornton’s “Hound Dog” followed before Danielle and Bob closed with Prince’s “Kiss,” serving up a dynamic cover, with notably cool flourishes from Enik’s guitar, as the duo kept the song funkin’ all the way ’til the end.