Live: Cotton Jones at Doug Fir

There's something almost religious about seeing Cotton Jones in concert—like going to church, but without any talk of god. The hymns are to the silver morning light, the flowers in the park, rolling hills and rushing rivers, hazy half dreams, and chiming bells. The songs are all personal moments and portraits—sipping tea, looking out the window—shared by the soulful and honey-voiced Michael Nau and his band of country folk from Cumberland, Maryland. The seven-piece group filled the stage at Doug Fir Lounge on Friday night with the standard folk-rock instrumentation of drums, bass, and electric guitar, plus a few more colorful treats like an amplified accordion, trombone, and tuba. Despite the band's size, the songs sounded as if they were being played in your own living room next to a quietly popping fireplace—warm and intimate at every turn. As always, Nau was aided by his husky-voiced singing partner and wife Whitney McGraw, who looks about six-months pregnant and as radiant as ever. The two have an incredible onstage rapport, never trading more than a look or nod during their vibrant duets and harmonies, and as an audience member, it often feels as if you've stumbled onto a couple's private, hushed conversations.

Cotton Jones - "Glorylight and Christie"

It's easy to forget Michael Nau and Whitney McGraw played in Page France together before forming Cotton Jones. Mostly because with Paranoid Cocoon and the Rio Ranger EP, they've created a persona and sound so unbelievably raw and pure that it's hard to imagine any other music possible. Tall Hours In The Glowstream, the group's next full-length, is scheduled to be released August 24.

Cotton Jones - "Glorylight and Christie" (from Tall Hours In The Glowstream)