Soft Moss Cold Air: June McDoom at WBAR’s Valentine’s Day
On this Thursday, the air is crisp and the sun is clear, but setting quickly. My friend and I go grocery shopping in the early evening. I buy frozen food and rice. I feel guilty about the money I spend. We share a paper bag. We eat separately and plan well for our night. We decide to arrive early.
I have been hearing about the WBAR Valentine’s Concert from friends involved in planning. I greet those friends with hugs on Claremont Avenue. The concert is at Riverside Church in a small room on the fourth floor. The room is well-decorated with red balloons, a banner, and electric tea lights—the sort of unadulterated, effortless charm and nostalgia of a low-budget middle school formal. Slowly, the room begins to fill. I sit on the floor with friends, sharing advice and secrets. I turn my head every time the door opens. I feel like I am playing a part in something I don’t quite know about. I am both strange and familiar.
When June McDoom arrives, I smile widely at my friends. June McDoom is a recent favorite artist of mine, and I am nothing but excited to see her live. The emerging singer-songwriter grew up in South Florida and is now based in New York City. Her music is a gentle blend of folk, soul, and ambient music, with a clear influence from the experimental folk scene of the 60’s and 70’s. Her particular musical perspective draws inspiration from the likes of Judee Sill and Nina Simone. June and guitarist/collaborator Evan Wright enter the room to stand among the sound equipment. She holds an acoustic guitar slung around her shoulders, a white string tied around its neck, with Evan on electric. They begin to play, and the crowd pools forward.
The church is indeed a pattern. The room changes. June gently picks the guitar, as her voice softly rings through the room, touching each corner and crevice, wood and plaster. We stand on the moss of her voice, both dreamy and grounded. I relish in its texture, it feels clear and kind on my skin. The two musicians sail through songs from both of June’s EPs—June McDoom and With Strings. In her soundscapes, so particular and lived in, she sings of paradoxes and love and environments and longing. This night, she tells us early, is special. “[Evan and I] aren’t usually stripped down like this.” It is special to be stripped down, to allow for simplicity, to give into tenderness.
Amidst this world, I notice June’s snow boots, her yellow skirt layered over bright pants. She wears a gray sweater and a pink headscarf. When she sings, she keeps her eyes closed and sways softly. She wordlessly invites us to do the same. I kept looking up to the ceiling, noticing the network of gravelly gray patterned panels, imagining what might be beyond it. After each song, June thanks the audience. We can sit if we want to, so we don’t.
A highlight of the night came in the form of her single, “Stone After Stone”. Her voice comes in beautifully, with such warm intention and light soulfulness. Effortlessly, lyrical storytelling and instrumental specificity blend like a whirlpool. Another special song was “Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair”, a folk song that June covers in her With Strings EP. The specificity of the lyrics touch me deeply. I’m comforted by the soft melancholy and devotion, which has been true for centuries. June ended with her most popular song, “On My Way”. It is full to the brim with longing. It blooms and breathes, always about to take flight, though it keeps its toes on the ground.
I tell June and Evan, “Thank you,” on their way out. On my walk home, I stare up at the sky and notice the moon, just one day past full. I forgot to celebrate the Lantern Festival, when I typically give the moon my attention, and eat it in a small bowl. So tonight, I make sure to cross the street and walk in its shine. I close my eyes like June McDoom. That night, she sang, “I close my eyes/Before it’s all gone.”
This review was written on June McDoom’s performance at the WBAR Valentine’s Concert on February 13th, 2025. June McDoom performed on a double bill with They Are Gutting a Body of Water.