photo by Geoff Wilbur

Danielle Miraglia and Cheryl Arena

Sanctuary (Barside), Maynard, MA

June 5, 2025

As I noted when I reviewed Dennis Brennan’s Sanctuary gig a couple weeks ago, this is the show I expected to be the first to get my out to this Maynard nightspot. The first Thursday of every month at 5:30pm is a Danielle Miraglia “Drinks with Friends” performance, and I’ve had every first Thursday this year circled but only just finally got to one last night. Danielle is one of Boston’s best blues artists, regularly a finalist or winner at local and regional music awards, and she is joined each month by another top area musician. On this particular month, she was joined by Cheryl Arena, one of the best blues harmonica players you’ll ever hear. (I’ll let her bio do the bragging.)

Of course, you’ve read both of these artists here before. We’ve reviewed three of Danielle’s album and five – now six – live performances, though this is our first live review since my 2019 review. I’ve only covered Cheryl once before, when I caught her 2016 concert at The Backyard.

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Given the caliber of the evening’s performers, it’s no surprise the bar at Sanctuary was pretty full.

The first set covered a range of blues styles. I walked in during what I think was a Bob Dylan cover. It was followed a folky “advice” song, “Shave That Stubble Off.”

Danielle’s vocals can range from soft and introspective to booming and powerful, and she broke out her full-on powerful blues voice on her version of “C.C. Rider,” which appeared on Danielle’s Bright Shining Stars album. One thing, too, was apparent on this song, as it was throughout the night. Everything sounds better with Cheryl Arena on harmonica.

The two shifted lead vocal responsibilities back and forth this set and throughout the night. Cheryl’s vocals are a little more on the rougher-edged end of the blues. She led the way on “Temptation” and employed a very rough and ragged blues vocal on “Big Road.”

Danielle took the lead were a new original she tentatively calls “Mess in Your Room,” a song about the mess the next generation will inherit with the prominent vocal “Children don’t bother…”

photo by Geoff Wilbur

Danielle closed the first set with a Little Walter tune, “Can’t Hold Out Much Longer.”

After a break, Danielle and Cheryl continued to wow the crowd with a broad variety of mostly-blues. Cheryl took the lead with a cool rendition of “Can’t Let Go.” Danielle followed by belting out her original “Monster”, from her All My Heroes Are Ghosts album. For fans who don’t remember song titles, it’s the “make your own news” song, and it uses a majority of Danielle’s stylistic range while sporting a funky rhythm.

Cheryl took over the lead vocals again on the next song, an energetic “Con Man” that brought a bit more energy to the audience that I’d seen at any other point in the night. From a crowd-energy standpoint, it was probably the evening’s highlight.

Next up, Danielle turned to a Bruce Springsteen song. She gave a nice, tuneful delivery on an engaging acoustic rendition of “Hungry Heart,” with Cheryl adding an inspired guitar solo. When harmonies were called for, they were noticeably good, as well, and not just because Kevin So, who was in the audience and who will be Danielle’s “Drinks with Friends” guest at Sanctuary later this year, accepted Danielle’s invitation to step up to a microphone and join the duo.

The night’s two closing numbers were standouts, too. Danielle always makes her cover of Tom Waits’ “2:19” here own, and last night was no exception; as always, she delivered with that identifiable mostly-sincere-but-slightly-smirky vocal inflection that’s hers and hers alone.

And Cheryl took the lead on the evening final number, “Nobody Knows When You’re Down and Out,” a soulful, slow blues lament with a nifty harmonica part.

As is always the case when Sanctuary brings Boston’s best musicians out to this small bar space, the performance had an intimate feel you usually can’t find this far out in the burbs.