M. Ward at the Barrymore Theatre
M. Ward was a talented, much-beloved indie singer-songwriter before he became the talented, much-beloved indie singer-songwriter by the side of Zooey Deschanel in She & Him. That duo tends toward softer, wispier strains than Ward does on his own, but his sound still slots in well with aspects of folk from the ’70s. Ward’s 2006 album, Post-War, pleased a good many followers with its hints of Hank Williams, Nick Drake, and any number of less distinctive neo-folkies. The same went for 2009’s Hold Time, another solid Ward album put out by North Carolina label Merge. His upcoming album, A Wasteland Companion, due in April, seems promising given the impressive cast of musicians he’s pulled from bands like Giant Sand and Bright Eyes to help him out and the rather fantastic first peek, “The First Time I Ran Away.”
We’ll all have a chance to see him for ourselves when he plays the Barrymore Theatre May 23. Tickets are $22 in advance, $25 the day of, and go on sale Feb. 22.
