1. iris Dement – City Winery – January 20th, 2013 – At the time it seemed overlong and a little winded, and while it won on points, and it won on its best moments of which there were quite a few, there were stretches that didn't take off. But now, it seems like a flawed masterpiece where the length of the show let it not build but flow in intensity.
2. Trixie Whitley – Le Poisson Rouge – January 31st, 2013 – Always a blast to see a young artist the moment they hit it big. This feels like the arrival of a major star. As her Uncle Dan Whitley said to me: "She's a pop star without the word pop star taking away in any sense from Trixie's brutally honest artistry."
3. Spider Bags – Cameo Gallery – January 18th, 2013 – because Shake My Head was the best album of 2012, Spider Bags closest as they were ever going to get to a live show in nyc was a must see. But a half hour wasn't long enough and this must the rarest of shows, one that would've have been better if it was longer and they delved deeper into their catalog. Still pretty great.