Corinne Bailey Rae Live @ Hiro Ballroom NYC

When I found out that Corinne Bailey Rae would be performing at Joe's Pub in NYC, I waited in front of my laptop continuously clicking the refresh button at 1:59pm until tickets would go on sale the very next minute. Then the very next minute came...and the tickets were ALREADY SOLD OUT!!!! WTF?! I tried and tried and tried some more, but nothing was "available". I figured there must have been some overload on the ticket site, so I rang the box office. There were only about 20 or so tickets on sale, and they were already sold out. I was gutted! Positively crushed. Then, in a freak twist of fate, I checked my e-mail and found a Giant Step invite to another Corinne show at Hiro Ballroom - on sale that very minute, so naturally, I clicked away on that only to find those tickets sold out as well. After scouring the internet for other possibly soon tour dates to no avail (oh, and working at my job....I did that too for a bit that day as I recall), I felt compelled to click the Giant Step link one more time. AND LO! What should appear, but a payment verification screen...SCORE!!! Yay me! And yay YOU! 'Cause you get to read this blog and soak up some of Corinne's awesomeness (albeit vicariously) for yourself! Cheers!

So, Hiro Ballroom...for all you NYC peeps (or my loyal bloglodytes...) you already know what it's like. For the unannointed among you, Hiro Ballroom is located in Chelsea on 9th Avenue between 16th and 17th Streets, tucked away (almost hidden) below the Maritime Hotel and its environs. The space is decked out with dark woods and lots of pretty authentic and Fauxriental (Faux+Oriental) ornamentation, lanterns, dim lights, stage one foot off the floor....which is why I got there plenty early. Wouldn't want you kids to get stuck out in the cold with no photos from the show. That would just be wrong. I couldn't do that to you...you're too cute to disappoint...squeeeeeeeeeee...

Here's some happy news for those not lucky enough to be in attendance Monday night, the entire thing was filmed for broadcast on The Artists' Den. It's a PBS series that is now also broadcast on Hulu. YAY some more! But in the meantime, I have this whole blog thing, so let's see how that all shakes out, shall we?



So, Corinne Bailey Rae....deeeeeeeeeeeeeelightful, as you may have already guessed. After much camera adjusting and guitar tuning (there was one guy in a Spice Girls World Tour 2008 t-shirt tuning all the guitars, and I swear it seemed as if the guitars were multiplying whenever we looked away...so many, many guitars to tune before the show. *sigh*), the band finally filed onto the diminutive stage and were soon joined by the lady herself (to riotous applause, I might add). Corinne, just as sweet as she wanna be, came out in a royal blue jumpsuit with loose, drapey side pockets, gold ballet flats, and twice as much hair as the last time you saw her. She said her salutations to the audience ("New York, how're you doin' tonight?!"), and wasted no time in getting the show on the road. She opened with the dancetastic Are You Here and followed it up with Paris Nights/New York Mornings. Corinne accompanied herself on acoustic and electric guitar, and both songs were a departure from the easy-breezy sound of her eponymous debut album. And then she slowed things down with Love's On It's Way, and the old school soul feel of Closer. Seriously, I had an Earth Wind & Fire moment during that last one, and believe me when I say that you have never seen or heard Corinne let loose like the end of this song. Phillip Bailey-level goodness!

Corinne Bailey Rae - Closer (live) @ Hiro Ballroom NYC

Paper Dolls opens with a beat reminiscent of The Supremes' My World Is Empty Without You, Babe, and to be honest, it's adorable how much fun Corinne seems to be having with that tambourine! Corinne told of how she co-wrote the song with her friend and former Helen bandmate who is joining her on this tour. She explained their first band, Helen ("Maybe some of you have heard of it...probably very few. It's one of those things where you just had to be there...It was part of a very localized scene. We were pretty big in our scene..." and giggles all around). In anticipation of this show, I've been devouring reviews and photos from other appearances Corinne's been making lately, and they all seemed to be going out of their way to point out how her voice seems to have taken on a deeper tone and a more melancholic air since the very untimely passing of her husband, musician Jason Rae, in March of 2008. The fact that she has written and recorded an entire album full of new songs to release and is performing them live internationally less than two years later blows my mind and is a testament to the woman's own inner strength. That being said, I think a lot of those reviewers were projecting their own emotions onto what they were hearing. I didn't find her voice to be very melancholic at all. In fact, during I'd Do It All Again (and doesn't the title just say it all?), her voice soared and she had an enormous smile across her face nearly the entire song.

Corinne Bailey Rae - I'd Do It All Again (live) @Hiro Ballroom NYC

When she followed it with her debut single, Like A Star, however, it was definitely an emotional moment for the room. Juxtaposing two songs that could seem (at least, to an outsider) to be very much of a before and an after struck a chord with everyone in the room. The crowd sang along word for word (most notably the annoying guy standing behind my cousin and myself who insisted on bumping us with his arms and hands, practically resting his camera on my cousin's head to get a shot, and had no compunction about leaning all of his baggage against our legs for convenience - it should be no great surprise that he sang so loudly and so directly into our ears it seemed he was holding out the misguided hope that if he just sang out enough, Corinne would take notice and they'd be BFF's 4-eva...some people just have no sense of intimate concert decorum. Though I longed to hear more songs from her debut album, it made me grateful that the majority of the performance was songs from the forthcoming The Sea so that he could not sing the entire show slightly off key and directly into the back of my head. And if you're reading this, Sir...yes, I mean you. But I digress...). Like A Star was succeeded by Blackest Lily, which I would like to tell you about, but can't remember because her cover of Jimi Hendrix's Little Wing came next and was off the chain! Corinne and her band began with some a capella cooing in the sweetest, liltingest harmony that you didn't see coming. Have a gander of this one on the video. It is (as ever) taken with my camera phone, but the sound quality is great and you are guaranteed some warm-fuzzies of your very own.

Corinne Bailey Rae - Little Wing (live) @Hiro Ballroom NYC

Diving For Hearts and the haunting I Would Like To Call It Beauty came on its heels. She closed out the set ("...well, maybe you'll be able to get us back out for a few more songs; but this is the official last song..." ;-]) with the title track, The Sea. Before she could begin, an eager fan thrust a gift towards the stage - a framed bit of something with a card attached ("Should I read it? I'm gonna read it...I won't read it out. Talk amongst yourselves for a minute"). It was the closest to shedding a tear that I saw her come the whole evening. She thanked the fan and set the frame down to sing the show's "official" closing number. Accompanying herself on autoharp, Corinne sang like a woman scanning the horizon for a husband lost at sea. All echoing tones and dark lyrics. When she departed the stage, the band just sort of stood around looking awkward awaiting her return for the inevitable (and already promised) encore...luckily, Corinne didn't keep us - or them - waiting more than a few moments. When the opening chords of Put Your Records On rang out, the crowd jump up and down and clapped and sang along en masse (one in particular directly into my ear...uh hemm). Being that the show was mainly new songs, I think the audience had been dying for a grasp at the more familiar...something we could all sing along to and feel a proper part of. We were not disappointed. The shows real close was with an updated version of Til It Happens To You. The guitar riffs were darker, funkier, and bluesier, as was Corinne's voice. At one point the beat switched up and got even deeper, and she let it all hang out. Like love on ya eardrum, people! It left us all wanting more, but after a performance like that, what else could there be to give? *sigh*

Corinne Bailey Rae - Til It Happens To You (live) partial @Hiro Ballroom NYC

She did mention, by the way, that she'd be back touring again in NYC in January and April, so keep your eyes open for tickets...and don't say I didn't warn you when you're five minutes late to ticket sales and find they're all sold out! Until next time, see you at the next show...

The Gossip @ Terminal 5 NYC

Now, it must be said up front that Terminal 5 is a lovely venue. It's a bigger venue than The Gossip has ever played in NYC before. There's the stage level floor, the second floor with good balcony views of the whole stage and the crowd below, and the third floor which is much like the second, but with smoking permitted. And there are at least two well-stocked full-service bars on each floor. Terminal 5 is a lovely venue, and I hate it. I hate it for many reasons, but mostly because no matter what I do, I can't seem to get in with my camera because it's "professional" (even though my camera's almost 6 years old and now even the little point-and-shoot cameras that Terminal 5 staff does let in have more megapixels and zoom than my camera does). But that's just my own personal Heavy Cross...moving on!

Opening for The Gossip this evening were Apache Beat and MEN (fronted by LaTigre vet, J.D. Samson). The venue doors opened at 7pm, and when I arrived on the scene at 7:30pm-ish, Apache Beat was already tearing it up onstage. I can usually take or leave a lot of opening acts, but Apache had something else going on. They are a five piece ensemble with some really kick ass drums (courtesy of Neil Westgate) and bass lines (big ups to DosSantos). With Christina Aceto on synths and Phillip Aceto rounding it all out on guitar, it's obvious that these kids know how to have a good time. Lead singer, Ilirjana Alushaj is a bit manic but really knows how to belt it out. It's no wonder Gossip chose this band to get the crowd warmed up. Here's a little taste of what they had to offer captured on my trusty camera phone:

Apache Beat Live @ Terminal 5 in NYC

As for MEN, LeTigre veteran J.D. Samson's latest little something to do, it was a non-stop, hop up and down, pump your fist in the air, and make a silly face kinda good time. I think we wouldn't expect (or accept) anything less. With J.D. synths and sound boards with all the beats and special effects, Michael O'Neill on guitar, Ginger Takahashi on bass, and "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" hyping the crowd, it was a good way to get the blood pumping back to the feet ('cause three hours is a long time to wait in one spot for Beth Ditto to happen) and get the body dancing. I was gonna post a video snippet, but the sound wasn't so great and the picture was obscured by the very polite monolith of a man who slid in front of me at the last second...sorry guys. But no worries: On to the main attraction!!!

The Gossip took to the stage at precisely 10pm (I love a band that loves the fans enough not to keep us all waiting forever and ever). The show opened with track no. 1 off their new album, Music For Men. An as yet unnamed bass player (who we now know is none other than Chris Sutton - thank you Anonymous Commenter!) climbed onto stage first. Whoever he is, he worked it out at this show. Anyways...drummer Hannah Blilie was next to step on stage, and though I'm certain she was beloved before, I'm sure that her new status as the album's cover girl didn't hurt either. Guitarist Nathan "Brace Paine" Howdeshell stepped up and the two of them started the opening licks of Dimestore Diamond. Beth Ditto started singing from somewhere in the ether, and when she finally set foot on stage, the crowd went berserk...but quickly reigned themselves in so as not to miss a single second of Bethtastic vocal goodness. The band's universally loved frontwoman sported a new shorter 'do in Kool-Aid red or Sunkist orange (depending on the lighting), She wore form-fitting black, knee-length dress covered in silvery glitter sparkles that shimmered as she shimmied around the stage to the beat, giving the impression that Beth Ditto is not the centre of the universe, but the universe itself...and we mere mortals are all just playing at her game. Side note: all the video is shot on my camera phone (as usual), BUT my screen is broken, so I couldn't actually see what I was recording. I just had to hope I was pressing the right button to start and stop. Please forgive any Beth Ditto headlessness and try to focus on her awesomeness and the sublime sound quality.

The Gossip - Dimestore Diamond Live @Terminal 5 in NYC

Not a bad way to kick off a show! The Gossip covered old favorites like Your Mangled Heart

The Gossip - Your Mangled Heart Live @Terminal 5 in NYC

as well as the newest of the new album with 8th Wonder

The Gossip - 8th Wonder Live @Terminal 5 in NYC

And in between songs, Beth came with her trademark blend of down-home, big sisterly chit-chat with the audience. When one fan held up a photo of herself with Beth at another show, the singer took the photo ("I need a Sharpie! Who has a Sharpie!"), took a few minutes to write something sweet and passed it back to the fan. In another case, when security tried to break up an argument in the audience, Beth halted her song opening to settle the dispute (a guy had called some girls dirty c***s and wouldn't apologise even after Beth gave him the mic to do it, so she let security escort him out). At one point between songs, Beth was having a little tete-a-tete with drummer Hannah Blilie, and when the audience got impatient with waiting, Beth turned to the crowd and said, "Shhhhhh...Band meeting! Don't be rude, now!" Some of the shows other highlights included my favorite cut off the new album, Four Letter Word:

The Gossip - Four Letter Word Live @Terminal5 in NYC

And what Gossip show would be complete without a kick-ass cover song, right? Here's Beth & Co. doing it up during the "encore" to the Tina Turner classic, What's Love Got To Do With It. And yeah, after the main set was over, she came back out barefoot and with just her skivvies on! Love this girl!:

The Gossip - What's Love Got To Do With It Live @Terminal 5 in NYC

The show finally (for really-real) closed with the song that put Gossip on the map, Standing In The Way Of Control, but not before some more love from Beth to the fans. She shouted out one girl for her 26th birthday, and invited another fan, the UK's own DJ Lindsay, onstage to celebrate DJ's 50th Gossip show before launching into the song ("You can stand here, but it might get awkward..."). Oh, and the other thing I hate about Terminal 5? The barrier moat between the stage and the crowd for press photogs. Granted, I might feel differently if I was in the moat with my camera, but I think that is neither here nor there. The point is, it keeps the fans away from the artists, and keeps the artist away from the fans. And Beth (bless her little heart) was having none of it. During the song, Beth dropped herself into the moat and was helped by fans and security over the barrier so that she could walk through the audience belting it out, spreading love, and giving hugs to anyone who could lay a hand on her. For Beth, it seems, making music is not just about touching people, it's also about touching people...

The Gossip - Standing In The Way Of Control Live @Terminal 5 in NYC

And just because enough is never enough, Beth came back out for a minute afterwards to lead the crowd in a chorus of Queen's classic anthem We Are The Champions. Declarations of love were made. Warm-fuzzy feelings were had. And that, boys and girls, was The Gossip in NYC. I've said it before and I'll say it again. The Gossip. Beth Ditto. Happy Warm Fuzzies. Rainbows. Unicorns. Hugs.

G'nite babies. See you at the next show!

Bat For Lashes @ Webster Hall NYC & Paradise Rock Club Boston

I saw these two shows back to back. If you're not interested in why, skip to the next paragraph. If you find yourself curious, then here's why: Way back in April, I went to see Bat For Lashes throw down at a sold out show at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC. Immediately following said show, I felt an urgent need to see Natasha & Co. throw down again...soon...urgent! The best I got was a glimmer of hope in some canceled Boston dates that Natasha said she'd try to make up for in early August some time. So I waited, and I bided my time. And then I saw my chance. In June, new tour dates were announced for Boston...and as far as I could tell, no one knew about it yet!! SCORE!!!! I facebooked all my relevant Boston peeps to see who might be down to see the show with me (it was a courtesy call, really...I would have been there with or without someone to keep me company). I bought a ticket. A friend I hadn't seen in 15 years bought a ticket. And I commenced to get really excited despite the two months between my ticket purchase and the actual show date. Then, some time end-of-June-beginning-of-July-ish, I got word that Bat For Lashes was coming back to perform in NYC again, this time at Webster Hall...the kicker: The NYC show was 12th August, and the Boston show (for which I already had a ticket) was 13th August, AND this was all in the week following my return to work from a month long work-holiday in Europe and the UK. Could I do it? Should I do it? Could I stop myself? The answers to these questions were: Yes. Yes. And No, respectively. I sent an emergency text to some of the NYC peeps who missed the last show because they didn't get in on it early enough. Tickets were purchased. Plans were made, and after having a great night out with Natasha and her friends and my friends in NYC, I took a half day from work to ride up to Boston and see Natasha work it out yet again. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO worth it!!!

So, because of the consecutive showings on the same leg of the same tour, rather than review each show on its own, I've decided to compare and contrast the two shows (with some added insight, of course). For the NYC show, the venue was Webster Hall. I love the old school, art deco style of the theatre, and I love the fact that it's a bit bigger than Bowery Ballroom, but doesn't lose any of the intimacy. For this particular show, however, there was a barrier set up in front of the stage leaving a big gap between the crowd and the band where the press photographers could come and go until after the headlining opening number. It was annoying because 1) even if you were standing at the barrier, some photog with a ginormous flash mount could step in front of you obscuring your view of Bat For Lashes awesomeness, and 2) once all the photogs are ushered out, there's a sort of moat separating you from the foot of the stage - what if Natasha wanted to reach out and touch people's hands and stuff? That coulda been you! Dammit barrier!!

The Boston show was at Paradise Rock Club. I'd never been there before, but as you walk in, you can see all the posters on the wall for the cool sh*t they've got going on (Emiliana Torrini, Zap Mama, School of Seven Bells...check'em out if you're in the Boston area). The venue is "cozy" and there's a giant column just a few feet from centre stage (and there was some poor person crammed behind it the whole show...). But they really pack the crowd in and the stage itself is quite low (only 3 or 4 feet off the ground), so you're really just all up in the show. For those that don't wish to jockey for position on the floor, there is also a non-VIP balcony area where you can see it all. So everybody wins (except for that poor person behind the column on the floor...sucker!).

The opening act on this leg of the tour is Other Lives, a band out of Oklahoma. And they ain't half bad. If you're not frightened off by lead singer Jesse Tabish's facial hair and general lack of grooming, you will find yourself in for quite a treat! Tabish, Josh Onstott, and Jonathon Mooney switch off amongst themselves for guitar, autoharp, violin, and piano duty while Colby Owens holds it all down on drums, and Jenny Hsu adds that touch of something special with her cello and backing vocals (and y'all know how I love the cello rock!). Their songs are bluesy rock and roll, with an atmospheric feel and a story to tell. Altogether, I found Other Lives to be a really good fit as an opener for Bat For Lashes.

Okay, here's what you came for: Bat For Lashes (with picturez b*tchez)!!! As for the set itself, if you like wolves and full moons, then this is the show for you! There was an enormous full moon-with-howling-wolf painted on the backdrop behind the stage, as well as a tapestry featuring full moons and wolves hanging across the front of the piano. In NYC, Natasha stepped on-stage in a shiny black bodysuit flecked with splatters of gold and fur-fringed tie-on sleeves, in her bare feet (if you caught her on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon the previous night, you know exactly what I'm talking about). In Boston, the costuming was quite the opposite: a black boat-neck 3/4 sleeve top, pouffy white skirt, a thick black belt, white leopard printed leggings, and again bare feet. No ginormous wolf-and-moon tapestry as backdrop, but I get the impression that the stage at Paradise just wasn't big enough to fit it in. In any case, Natasha was lovely and adorable, and looked like she might hop off stage after the show to go vintage shopping with Zooey Deschanel. And then she started singing and we all lost our minds!

If it weren't for the fact that I could hear Natasha breathing and giggling and chatting to the crowd during and between songs, I might have suspected that all the vocals were pre-recorded. Natasha Khan turned in a pitch perfect performance of the most sublime vocal imagery ever let loose from a microphone. Both shows opened with the Two Suns biblical album Intro followed by Glass and Sleep Alone with it's primal, jungle dwelling bass and percussion thanks to Charlotte Hatherley (on bass, autoharp, percussion, backing vocals, balloon animals...you name it, this woman does it) and Sarah Jones (who I would still like to be be my best friend) on drums, percussion, and backing vocals. Giving the sets an otherworldly feel with the keyboard arrangements and seemingly random ambient noises and samples is the ever present Ben Christophers. Horse & I - one of my all time favorite tracks - followed to raucous applause...tho in Boston, there was a bit of a giggly false start from Natasha on this one (check out the video at the bottom). The set lists for the two shows did diverge a bit. Some songs swapped places with others. Some appearing at one show, but not at the next (they skipped out Sad Eyes completely at the Boston show). If it can even be conceived that anything could surpass the recorded version of Siren Song, the live version is a world changing experience. It starts off slow and quiet, adding layer upon layer of sound until you find yourself caught in the centre of a sonic storm so powerful you're not sure if the walls will hold. Two Planets is another song in the live repertoire that may just make you believe (as I do) that Sarah Jones is the best drummer in the history of EVER. The thundering drums and Natasha's raw energy on stage make your tingles tingle. And for the record, I don't understand people who go to concerts and don't dance. Who are these people and why do they even bother to leave their hovels to come and take up dance space at shows I go see? In Boston, the set "ended" with Pearl's Dream; in NYC the "ending" was a sparser version of Prescilla with Natasha alone on stage and accompanying herself on harpsichord. The Boston "encore" started with this same lonely version of Prescilla and the crowd was so moved by the performance, spontaneous hand-clap percussion erupted in pockets of the audience while Natasha sang, in hommage to the album version. It was a very warm and fuzzy moment for all, and Natasha paused a moment to look up in the direction of the claps and give a smile before continuing on. Back in NYC, the "encore" of Moon & Moon elicited a manic shout of "YOU'RE AMAZING!!!" from somewhere in the crowd, which in turn elicited an equally spastic response of "THANK YOU!!!" from Natasha before starting the song.

The last song for both shows was Daniel. Not a bad way to end a show, really. The band going crazy on-stage, Natasha singing, dancing, and smiling like a Make A Wish kid at Disneyland, and the entire room jumping up and down, dancing, and vibrating to the music. Yeah, I can think of worse ways to spend an evening (or two). I've said it before and I'll say it again, I want to be Natasha Khan when I grow up. And when I'm all grown up and Natasha Khan, I want Sarah Jones to be my very best friend! I'll even listen to all of those "When-I-was-On-Tour" stories for the thousandth time, and do so with a smile on my face and a (Bat For Lashes) song in my heart. And even though I know what's coming next, I will try to give all of my responses as unstudied an air as possible. Honest! I promise, Sarah! Call me!...*sigh* Do not, I repeat: DO NOT miss this show if it comes to your city!!!

In the meantime, here are some vids i recorded on my cellphone...the images may not be the bestest of the best, but i promise the sound quality is so good y'all!

Bat For Lashes performing Intro/Glass Live @ Paradise Rock Club in Boston

Bat For Lashes performing Horse & I @ Paradise Rock Club in Boston



Bat For Lashes performing Trophy @ Paradise Rock Club in Boston




Bat For Lashes performing Moon & Moon @ Paradise Rock Club in Boston





Bat For Lashes performing Two Planets @ Paradise Rock Club in Boston



Click Here to see all the photos from these shows...

See you at the next show babies...

Jenny Owen Youngs @ Bowery Ballroom NYC

I came to see Jenny Owen Youngs, but the other bands kicked a lot of ass in their own rights. The show opened with a band called These United States. These boys are fun Fun FUN!!! they opened their set with some monster guitars and killer bass, and followed immediately with the most kick ass drums I've heard all year on such a modest set-up. The music is kinda bluesy, kinda rock & roll-ish, 100% kick ass with a side of down home goodness and foot stomping. Let me put it like this, if the new season of True Blood on HBO opened with These United States playing in a bar on the bayou and followed with vampiric goodness and mayhem, I wouldn't be a bit surprised; and these fellas would not be a bit out of place. Usually, an opening act is pretty good, but you'd much rather be watching/listening to whatever band you really came to see. In this case, when the boys announced their last song, the entire room was all, "Nooooooooooooo!!!...but we do want to see Jenny. But still...Noooooooooooooooo!!!" For those that have only heard them, I must point out that bass player, Mark Charles, is one of the best dressed men in music right now. Period. Also, front man, Jesse Elliott, is the sweatingest man in music, and that is a fact. This man sweated more than all the other performers in all the other acts combined. He took one for the team. He was sweating on everyone's behalf. Seriously, I was in the front with my camera praying that he wouldn't shake his head in my direction. Sweat dripping from his guitar! Rounding out the foursome is J. Tom Hnatow who was wicked on the steel guitar and slide, David Strackany who worked it out on electric guitar, and drummer Robby Cosenza (who played nearly the entire set with his eyes closed - love this guy!). But I digress...please find their myspace and show them some love.

Jenny stepped up next. To say that Jenny Owen Youngs is extremely talented would be an understatement at the very least. Of course, when talking about her spectacular new cd, Transmitter Failure, she, herself, would probably be more likely to tell you that "...the packaging is beautiful! The music's okay..." Jenny rocked, rolled, folk'd,and joked her way through a nearly hour-long set, playing mostly new songs with a few solid assists from the first album. The show opener, Voice On Tape (from Jenny's debut, Batten The Hatches), got a huge crowd response...followed by an almost solemn hush as everyone leaned in and listened intently. The live version does not pale in the least to the album version with recorded voicemail snippets from Jenny's old college chum, Regina Spektor. Jenny was joined on this leg of the tour by Dan Romer on guitar, Chris Kuffner on bass, Elliott Jacobson on drums, and someone whom Jenny described as "...Destroyer of worlds, breaker of hearts, and my favorite part of the band Tegan & Sara...", Bess Rogers on guitar. Since the new album was just released officially the day before this show, the new songs were a pleasant and very welcome surprise to nearly everyone in the room. The driving force behind newer songs like Led To The Sea, Dissolve, and Clean Break definitely left a stamp of "Mission Accomplished" on Jenny's mission while writing and recording the album, which was to bring a collection of songs that would be more fun to perform live. They got the crowd moving, head nodding, dancing to the beat, and singing along to the chorus after not too long. Nods to Batten The Hatches were the afore mentioned Voice On Tape, Drinking Song, and everyone's favorite, F*ck Was I. My personal favorite off the new album performed during the show was the title track, Transmitter Failure which, in my opinion, is the most melodically beautiful song Jenny's recorded so far. This is no small feat from a woman who can make you sing the words "What the f*ck was I thinking..." absentmindedly in a room full of small children before you catch yourself and look around to see if anybody heard you (I'm not saying it's happened to me, but I'm not saying it hasn't either...). Catchy melody is clearly her thang! Transmitter Failure (the song and the album) has so many layers. Performed live it is stripped down to its bare essentials and it is after the big, thrashy guitar opening comes to an abrupt halt that you have to hold your breath so you don't miss out on Jenny softly singing the verses and chorus. By the time the end of the song comes around and the guitars and drums are going at full force again while Jenny sings serenely over the entire arrangement, you're not ready for it all to dissolve into the near silence of the last lone note. It's a breathtaking performance live, and its only improvement on the recorded version is the addition of a string quartet to round out the lushness of the sound. Beautiful. She followed this up with a lovely rendition of Nighty Night, and finished big and raucously loud with Last Person. The only thing that could have made this a better show would have been if Jenny closed the show instead of being sandwiched between These United States and Jukebox The Ghost. There's really no room for name chanting and encore songs when another band is waiting to go on stage....*sigh*

If you told me that Jukebox the Ghost was the mastermind behind the vampire puppet opera in the film "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", I would totally believe you. The movie's leading man, Jason Segel, keeps insisting that he actually wrote all of those songs though, so you'll just have to check out Jukebox the Ghost live in concert to see why I'm drawing parallels between that film and this music. Pretty much every song they played sounded like something from some gothic puppet opera. This was helped along by the chatty lead-ins to the songs ("This one is about what the world is like if you're coming from underground after the apocalypse and seeing the planet again for the first time..."). The harmonies are sublime. The falsettos are BeeGees-era goodness. This is a live show you don't want to miss.

Here's a clip of Jenny performing "If I Didn't Know" live at the show.



And here's Jenny performing "F*ck Was I" live at the show...enjoy!

See you at the next show...