Taking the stage without banter, Jessica Lea Mayfield played to a clearly adoring crowd of fans at SXSW in Austin, coming across polished yet a bit shy. Absent last night was her brother, David who previously seemed to be a bit of the energizer of the group promoting acrobatic antics. Also missing was their signature pose of Jessica playing guitar standing atop the bass and somebody to address the crowd beyond a few humble thanks, but perhaps she just prefers to speak through her music.
Mayfield’s music exudes a sense of heartbreak and emotion before she even opens her mouth. The balance between her steady strumming of dark chords and the full out, embellished electric guitar of Richie Kirkpatrick leaves a lingering sound in the air, fleshing out the honest heart-felt lyrics Mayfield is praised for. Mayfield delivers her smokey vocals with a dark mysterious stare (partially due to the fact her bangs obscure half her face) and the effect only adds to heighten the dark mood. The highlight of the evening for me was “The One That I Love Best” which transitioned seemlessly through a rock jam into “I Can’t Lie to You,” leaving me glad that I’ve never had to suffer through the pains of a lover cheating.
DOWNLOAD: Jessica Lea Mayfield - The One That I Love Best (MP3) or Follow us for more Jessica Lea Mayfield MP3s (Twitter)
Oh I see. I was wondering if you were talking about the picture. Really glad you liked it. Have you checked her out yet?
by Colin on Sun Mar 14, 2010 at 02.29 pm from the entry: Interview - Kelli Schaefer (Portland, OR; Winter, 2010)
yes! The interview is great, and the photo shows off the glow
by Ian on Sun Mar 14, 2010 at 01.29 pm from the entry: Interview - Kelli Schaefer (Portland, OR; Winter, 2010)
Great post! Really digging the new record a lot. The Rainwater LP has some gorgeous moments - definitely recommend checking it out. There are 3 of the new songs up on the myspace page: myspace.com/citizencope
by MattKlomp on Sun Mar 14, 2010 at 03.16 am from the entry: Citizen Cope - Paradise Theater (Boston, MA; Feb. 27, 2010 )
haha is that a compliment?
by colin on Sat Mar 13, 2010 at 06.49 pm from the entry: Interview - Kelli Schaefer (Portland, OR; Winter, 2010)
love that melophobe has more “couples” reviewers, and more “Ian/Ion/Ian/Iain” than the average site…
by Ian on Sat Mar 13, 2010 at 06.48 pm from the entry: sevendust + drowning pool + digital summer + the flood - showbox market (seattle, WA; Mar 07, 2010
you’re positively glowing in this interview, Colin
by Ian on Sat Mar 13, 2010 at 06.46 pm from the entry: Interview - Kelli Schaefer (Portland, OR; Winter, 2010)
Hey Merseilles did a live web show at sonicbirds office gig on Friday that was pretty spectacular. Can anyone find a copy of that?
by Smallweed on Sat Mar 13, 2010 at 11.40 am from the entry: SXSW Send Off Show - Visqueen + Hey Marseilles - Neumos (Seattle, WA; Mar. 5, 2010)
and the winner of our SXSW Evil Mustache award, the guy in photo 2.
“Evil mustache award” guy is none other than Richie Kirkpatrick, Jessica’s electric guitar player.
He’s quite a character on stage too though he was much more reserved at the Parish then when I saw him in Seattle.