Sicard Hollow Keeps It Roaring Hot On A Cold DC Night

It was the night before another big snowstorm in Washington, DC, and the region started to bunker down for the impending snow. While some salted their driveways and bought last-minute groceries, music fans set their eye on warming their musical souls with live music. Fans walked into Pearl Street Warehouse and gathered around the stage, waiting for the rip-roaring fire and musical fury of Sicard Hollow.

To create a proper fire, one must start with some kindling, and that is precisely what the billing added when a stripped-down Megan Jean's Secret Family set foot on the stage.  Megan Jean (vocals, bass) and her bandmate and husband Byrne Klay (guitar, vocals) entertained the audience for nearly an hour. The pair wooed the audience with their whispy voices and stripped-down performance, giving fans a sneak preview of their upcoming album, which will be released later this year. Jean once described the band's sounds as, "We're like a metal band if it was 1927," with an eclectic sound that blends Americana, Rock, blues, and folk into one. As the duo left the stage, the audience was left yearning to see what the fully electrified version of the band would sound like.  

Up next was the much-anticipated headliner - Sicard Hollow. The crowd moved forward to fill the dance floor, ready to experience the music and energy that the band is known for. The progressive bluegrass band consists of four skilled musicians from Nashville, TN, each with a unique musical journey distinct from their peers.  Alex King (guitar/vocals), Matt Rennick (violin), Will Herrin (mandolin/vocals), and Parrish Gabriel (bass) were each influenced by genres outside of bluegrass, but once they started performing together their newgrass music shined. Some have referred to the band's style as punk-grass, while others have gone further, calling them psychedelic punk-grass rockers. This band brings a new energy to a timeless style with a combination of fearless improvisation and instrumental prowess. If it is possible to describe the band, it would be Billie Joe Armstrong and Green Day meets punkgrass with uplifting lyrics, influenced by The Grateful Dead, with the intensity of GenZ, and is willing to push the boundaries of the genre.

The band would start the performance with a fan favorite, "This I Know." However, the audience did not know that the band was hitting the stage after a long day of travel, having left Nashville for DC at 4 AM to kick off their latest tour. After a ten-hour drive, the band took to the stage with explosive intensity, and by the second song, "Clinch Mountain Blues" by The Stanly Brothers, the band was already in full flight, fully commanding the stage. There were no cobwebs to shake off for these road warriors - only jumping on stage and meeting the musical moment with intensity and brilliance.

The band would continue to fill the evening with musical vibrations as they skillfully intertwined their instruments from one edge of the stage to another. On the left of the stage, Parish Gabriel, with a bubblegum-toned bass, illustrated his bass-slapping talents as he masterfully explored his fretboard. On the opposite side of the stage, Matt Rednick's fiddle soared to extraordinary heights, leaving fans spellbound by his intensity. Between Gabriel and Rednick, Alex King and Will Herrin filled out the musical might of the band by settling squarely inside the music, punctuating the songs with crisp Flatpicking and ferocious mandolin playing.

Next, Herrin would sing "Bound To Die," highlighting that the quartet had two talented singers before collectively dialing up their intensity for the remainder of their evening. During "Passing of Time," they explored the song and unleashed a monster psycho-jam as Gabriel's funky bass resonated under Rednick's soaring fiddle. All the while, Herrin's raw power on the mandolin showed as King dropped his head below his shoulders and showed his "into the jam zone" stance. After showing their sonic prowess, fans could not help but draw closer to the stage to bask within reach of the radiating heat coming off the stage.

Wanting to keep the energy high, they segued into "Brown Eyed Woman" by The Grateful Dead. This song illustrated how the band can play a song by another artist and transform it into their own. They dove head first into a mid-song fiery jam before returning to the song's traditional ending. The night's biggest surprise came when the band performed "Dr. Feelgood" by Motley Crue.  According to the band's tour manager, Motley Crue was one of Will Herrin's favorite bands, and it showed. Herrin performed a blistering rendition of his childhood heroes. To the roaring delight of the varied influences, they once again transformed a classic song into one of their very own.

The encore, a triumphant finish to a long day in the life of an independent band, was another fan favorite "Secret of The Breeze." Fans could not have asked for a better encore with an uplifting and highly combustible song as positivity radiated from the stage as the venue floor erupted into a danceparty.

As the band exited the stage, Alex King announced they would be at the merchandise table for a few minutes before embarking on their journey to Richmond ahead of the impending snowfall. Despite their tight schedule, Sicard Hollow went above and beyond, spending more than just a few minutes at the merchandise table. Each member took the time to greet every fan, appreciate their words, and share some cherished with them before heading south.

If you have yet to see Sicard Hollow perform, this is a must-see newgrass band. If you have seen them before, you are most certainly waiting, like us, to see them again soon. We predict great things for this band in the coming years and look forward to more of their uplifting lyrical songs, adopting and transforming additional covers, and face-melting jams yet to come. There's no doubt that Sicard Hollow is a band on the rise, and we can't wait to see what they do next.