Newly solo Watson Maack plays Chatty Monks and lays the ground for 2019 release

Newfound Nashville native Watson Maack, formerly of the Christian alt-rock group Boundaries, played a solo acoustic show earlier this week at Chatty Monks Brewing in his hometown Reading, PA. 

Coming off his first semester at Belmont University in Tennessee, Maack has big plans to release a solo EP within the next few months, and many of the songs he played were new and will most likely appear on that release. 

Joined by Josiah Rodriguez on the keyboard, Maack opened the night with “Home,” an old Boundaries track that got the crowd plenty warmed up. I’ve seen him perform with Boundaries a handful of times, and his stage presence is wild and electric and completely infectious. But this time, with nothing but an acoustic guitar and a kick drum, Maack seemed to embody a whole new kind of comfort. The vibe was calm, but there was an imperceptible buzz of excitement in the air as we were introduced to never-before heard tracks that promised a whole different kind of future for Maack’s next release. 

Other notable songs of the night were “Differences,” “Compromise,” and the closer “When I’m With You,” all of which were filled with heavy emotion and showed off his wide vocal range. 

Something cool - the setlist only included one cover, and to my surprise he chose a medley by Nashville favorites Colony House. Though only a few people in the crowd recognized it, it was so beautifully done that he probably could have passed it off as an original. 

I’ve written about Watson’s work before, but I’ve never had the pleasure of covering a project of his that is completely non-collaborative. I’m really hopeful, as he is, for what the future holds. It might even include a mini tour with a stop in Philly.