Monthly Archives: July 2026

Live Review: Danielle Miraglia and Bob Enik at Sanctuary

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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 knew 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, followed 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 the 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.

 

EP Review: Frank Viele – The Silo EP

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image courtesy of Frank Viele

EP Review of Frank Viele: The Silo EP

Oh, my, that rich, gravelly voice! Frank Viele‘s ability to deliver a song earnestly and heartfelt-edly is a unique gift. A honed craft, sure. But a gift to the rest of us. His talent and dedication haven’t gone unnoticed, as he’s racked up numerous honors, including a plethora of New England Music Awards, including Artist of the Year in 2023, something you may have read about here at the Blog.

The Silo EP is Viele’s most recent long-form recording, containing a quintet of songs, each revealing a unique variation of his rich, warm, welcoming singing, songwriting, and performance style.

photo courtesy of Frank Viele

So if it’s such a welcoming style, then why does the first song on the EP sport such an ominous, foreboding opening? OK, I can’t explain that, but you’ve gotta admit, it’s really effective; the EP-opening title track “Silo” gets your attention quickly and pulls you in. The music is like something straight out of an old Italian Western, while Viele’s steady voice with the occasional hint of gravel absolutely holds your attention.

The mood lightens quickly; “We Can’t Have It All” starts with an upbeat strum. This song is very stylistically akin to a richly-instrumented folk number, as Viele’s expressive, seemingly knowing delivery serves up the its message matter-of-factly. And that twangy guitar line that wafts through the verses? It’s not a hook exactly, but it adds richness and vibrance to the song, adding a sense of intentional direction, as well.

“Better Late Than Too Soon” is lightly instrumented and a bit lower tempo than “We Can’t Have It All.” There’s something about the arrangement and Viele’s delivery that brings to mind that this is what Bruce Springsteen might sound like if he went so fully acoustic on such a heartfelt song. At least, it’s reminiscent of that. The earnestness, the grainy emotional edge to the vocals, and the real-life, emotionally connecting message. Whew!

photo by Lisa Sanchez Gonzalez; photo courtesy of Skye Media

But don’t expend all of your “whew!” just yet. If possible, Viele dials it up a notch on “She Sleeps Better in the Rain,” with light instrumentation again offering the opportunity to underscore the gravity of his vocals, as well as providing an easy canvas upon which even modest increases in the fullness and volume of the instrumentation can add additional weight to the song’s tone and message. Very cool!

Finally, Viele closes the EP with the disc’s only non-original, digging deep to find enough heartfelt vocal gravelliness to do justice to a song originated by one of my favorite old-school rockers, and not just because of my allegiance to the mitten state. Viele’s performance of Bob Seger’s “Against the Wind” is guided on a lightly strummed guitar and a more hushed vocal delivery. This acoustic performance of “Against the Wind” sometimes gives me chills, it’s so cool.

Though it’s a short five songs, Frank Viele’s The Silo EP feels like an exceptional, top-shelf record. It’s an album – er, EP – that carries gravitas, a collection that conveys its weightiness to its recording artist. First-time listeners will not be at all surprised that this singer-songwriter has won awards; the question they’ll ask is why Frank Viele isn’t even more widely known. I know Frank’s working on it. In the meantime, he’s served up some damn fine music for those of us “in the know” to enjoy.

Single Review: Dwayne Haggins & John Galle – “Crazy (Live from the Gold Hill Store 2025)”

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photo by Dustin Martin; cover image courtesy of Dwayne Haggins

Single Review of Dwayne Haggins & John Galle: “Crazy (Live from the Gold Hill Store 2025)”

This Patsy Cline hit, penned by Willie Nelson, as Dwayne Haggins points out in the song’s intro, is a classic. This rendition, recording more than 60 years after the Cline’s 1962 release, most absolutely does it justice.

Stylistically, the pair put their own spin on the tune while remaining true to it in spirit. John Galle‘s fiddling is light and playful, while Haggins’ voice covers plenty of real estate. A versatile local Americana favorite here in the northeast, Haggins takes a light touch to the vocals, playfully dancing about the melody, hitting an impressive high note or two, and honoring the song’s spirit throughout. For fans of the genre – or fans of Patsy’s version of this classic – this is a rendition you’re likely to welcome into your collections and into your homes.

The location where this song was recorded, the Gold Hill Store is a venue in Boulder, Colorado. Haggins, meanwhile, tours widely throughout the northeast and sometimes, obviously, beyond. The “Shows” page of his website lists a plethora of upcoming shows across New England and New York, plus a few dates much farther west, including September 11 and 12 appearances at the Gold Hill Store in Boulder where this single was recording. Meanwhile, you can remain abreast of what Galle is up to by following his Instagram account.