The cheery lady selling tickets at Mississippi Studios refused to check my ID for the guest list under the assumption that “friends of Laura Gibson aren’t liars.” It gave me a warm feeling to be trusted by a perfect stranger, a feeling that aligned well with the resulting mood of a night brought to life by fragile sounds from honest people.
With violins and whispery vocals, Rauelsson lulled the shivers of a crowd freshly chilled from the rain outside. Tranquil fans smartly dressed in scarves and pea coats scattered themselves on the floor by the stage, attentive and still like a classroom full of students mesmerized by the gorgeous new substitute teacher.
Musee Mecanique did nothing to shake the crowd from their paralyzed state of wonder. The two members, Sean and Micah, changed instruments between almost every song, forming an impressive two-man band in contrast to the usual five. I was in a state of amazement myself, so it didn’t surprise me when after their second song Micah broke the silence and said, “There are too many people in this room to be so quiet.” To which the crowd responded with . . . yet more silence.
Between the third and fourth song, someone from the crowd woke from their dream state and shouted, “Oh my god!” While another urged Micah, “Tell a joke!”
He declined to tell a joke just then, but did share a bit of knowledge about his Spanish lesson from Rauelsson’s Raúl Pastor Medall:
Micah: “Raúl taught me a word in Spanish while we were backstage. Yo me encantó!”
Loudmouthed crowd member: “That means you enchant yourself!”
Micah: “Oh, someone’s messin’ with me, then.”
After a couple amusing stories that passed as jokes, and one too many spells cast on the audience with their magical accordions, xylophones, and melodicas, country princess Laura Gibson graced the stage: golden hair tumbling down over an ivory vintage dress hovering ghost-like over dark brown tights which plunged dramatically into a pair of white, 1970’s nursing shoes.
Before launching into “Hands in Pockets,” Laura joked in a notch above a whisper, “I realize it’s a rainy night and swine flu is on the rampage. I just came from Japan and everyone on the subway has those masks. So, anyone who feels a cough coming on, if you could move to one side of the room, and if you feel healthy, move to the opposite side. Uh, thanks.”
Micah remained on stage, pulling a bow along edges of cymbals and occasionally breaking out the musical saw for some eerie atmospheric wobbles.
Micah and Sean from Musee Mecanique both played melodicas (keyboards apparently designed after elephants) while Micah threw in some banjo plucking during “Come by Storm.” The bluegrass tinges set the stage nicely for the next song; a Mississippi John Hurt cover called “Make Me a Palette on the Floor.”
The musical saw made a second appearance for “Where Have All Your Good Words Gone?”, a song worth hearing, or watching for sure.
Toward the end of the set, Gibson announces a song she and Sean had collaborated on and had yet to play live called “Sky and Sword.” Esopus magazine invited her to record a song with the criteria that it be based on one of Nostradamus’ prophecies. Foot-stomping and clapping abounded for this one, and Gibson surprised the audience with her ability to project her voice further than the usual soft croon.
Closing the set with her upbeat, Feist-like ditty, “Spirited” from the new record Beasts of Season, Gibson sent the crowd, starry-eyed, twitterpated, and insulated by warm poetic melodies, back into the chilly Portland rain.
Ugh. Paste’s profile of Free Energy made me kind of hate them. So does your review. It’s this unctuous defense of good-time rock-and-roll ("we’re just here to party, and we’re awesome!") that seems more self-serving than fun-loving.
by beth on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 09.41 pm from the entry: Foreign Born + Free Energy - The Knitting Factory (Brooklyn, NY; Mar. 12, 2010)
that inescapable feeling you are referring to, is that like when you hear something and you could have sworn you heard it before because of the nostalgic catchy quality? or is is like when you’ve heard a band exactly like said band?
great post by the way!
by paul on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 03.15 pm from the entry: The Novel Ideas - "The Sky Is A Field" - Borrow It
Whoa! I had no idea she was enegaged. You would never know with the way she behaves! Wow!
by art on Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 09.48 am from the entry: Nikki Darlin and John McCauley: 1+1=1
This comment stream is so meta. Great review Kelly.
by chris on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 07.50 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
no prob. The whole album is excellent, combining some of the harder sonics of Los Angeles with the meat of his debut and obviously difficult to summarize in only 50 words… 
I’d say it’s on par with the debut, but better than Los Angeles.
by kelly on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 06.23 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
By the way, I really liked the mp3 posted. Thanks.
by Joshua H on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 06.17 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
WHO WROTE THIS...PUKE ! “WHO WROTE THIS...PUKE ! “Picture yourself coasting your bike past space funk palm trees, homeless harpists, vintage video arcades, electronic drum circles, and 60s psychedelic singers who’re waiting for the bus. Cosmogramma is kinda like that if someone suddenly tripped you just as you’re starting to enjoy the ride. But in a good way.””
by Joshua H on Tue Mar 16, 2010 at 06.17 pm from the entry: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma" - Buy It
