Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange) w/ The Onlies at Palace Theatre

With harmonies so easy they sound like kitchen-table talk, Andrew and Emily sail through “New Star,” an ode to the self-sacrifice and renewal of trying to create something, like a child, that might make the world better. Revolutionary kindness, social responsibility, collective understanding: These simple but staggering ideas are the unseen threads of Watchhouse, a miraculous expression of measured domestic protest.

The Onlies are known as one of the top old-time string bands of the moment, digging deep into traditional material to create music that resounds with the present.