Even if British soft-folkster David Gray hasn't been a fixture in your playlist since his days as Radiohead's opening act in the mid-'90s (or ever), do consider attending his April 14 show at Fillmore Miami Beach if only to see his opener, Phosphorescent.
For the past five years, frontman Matthew Houck and his Brooklyn-based band have overwhelmed audiences with gritty songs about cocaine, mermaids and wolves, and took the next obvious step with 2009's To Willie, a collection of Willie Nelson covers. In all cases, Houck's stage presence is as complex and twisted as his curly beard, and few singers can out-Will-Oldham Will Oldham when it comes to a perfect, fractured vocal.
Expect to hear "It's Hard to be Humble (When You're From Alabama)," the first track released from Phosphorescent's forthcoming Here's to Taking it Easy -- now streaming over at Pitchfork. For further proof, watch this video of "A Picture of Our Torn-Up Praise":
