Hailing from Portland, M. Ward is on tour for his eighth studio album, More Rain (2016). Matthew Ward has performed as a solo artist for more than fifteen years and is known for being half of She & Him with Zooey Deschanel and the folk-rock group Monsters of Folk, whichย includes Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes and Jim James of My Morning Jacket.ย Well-known favoritesย from Ward’s past albums includeย โChinese Translationโย and “Poison Cup”ย from Post-War (2006), as well as “Never Had Nobody Like Youโ from Hold Time (2009). Sweeter, lesser-known gems include โVincent OโBrienโ from Transfiguration of Vincent (2003) and โThe First Time I Ran Awayโ from A Wasteland Companion (2012). With Ward’s distinctive croon, the slow, sleepy melodies on “More Rain” are soaked with fog and dew. “I’m listening, I’m listening, / I hear it all,” he sings on “I’m Listening (Child’s Theme).” The few wordsย echo, as if dripping. The first trackย is a minute of rain pattering, which is appropriate for what’s to follow. The Beach Boys cover “You’re So Good To Me” is brilliant yet subtle, and tracks like “Slow Driving Man” (“This is a song about a slow driving man,” is how it begins) and “Phenomenon” seem toย take their time, makingย the albumย an easy one to leave on. Two of Ward’s upcoming NorCal showsย are Thursday, July 7 at McNearโs Mystic Theatre in Petaluma, CA and on Friday, July 8 at the newly-renovated UC Theatre in Downtown Berkeley. Located on University Avenue near the cityโs arts district, the concert hallย originally opened in 1917 but was closed in 2001 due to seismic retrofitting. This year marks its reopening, with an impressive lineup of diverse artists and shows over the summer. Ward will be performing in Berkeley with Nice As Fuck (NAF), the new supergroup consisting ofย Jenny Lewis, Au Revior Simoneโs Erika Spring, and the Likeโs Tennessee Thomas. Father John Misty, who penned the group’s official bio,ย called them โobjectively the best all-female band in the last 25 years.” Article by Valerie Law Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Currently you have JavaScript disabled. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Δ