Eight Gigs: Bryan McPherson

Brian McPherson managed to encapsulate everything that is good and right about folk music on his 2015 album Wedgewood: terse yet poetic lyrics that speak to both the person and to the state of the world, and emotive guitar that demands action from the listener. These qualities together are potent, like a shot of energy aimed at the dormant parts of us that aren’t cynical or ironic, sparking the fuse to want more, to want change, to want to believe we are a reflection of the world and the world is a song written by us. 411 18th Street, http://bryanmcpherson.com.