Blankets and folding chairs provided an apt backdrop for Mirah and her verdant songs. Her first offering of the evening, “Gone are all the Days,” asked “Well, how about the backyard, sons and daughters? C’mon, we’ve got to get some work done.” For the attentive audience at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, the only work was to lean back for a summer night’s concert. Mirah prefaced her set with instruction to listen for the cricket song, and the quickly hushed conversations left the courtyard resonating with bright chirps. This was perfect for her motifs of woods, fields, water, and Argentinean air. Her naturalistic images worked so well for the outdoor stage, and resulted in a clarification of Mirah’s recent tunes.
The power of Mirah’s songwriting comes through an intimacy with the listener. Lyrics offer bare assessments of lustful laments, passing diversions, and hopes offered through acoustic guitar. However, the instrumentation on 2009’s (A)spera distracted with horns and strings. There was an overwrought weight to the production, which was greatly pared down in the live setting. The strength of the show resulted from the tempered arrangements from guitarist Tara Jane O’Neil and drummer Lisa Schonberg. O’Neil added bounce to Mirah’s more firm posture, announced as she lip-synced to “September” and later with playful interrogation of a rambling anecdote that Mirah shared about a nephew and sticks; Schonberg held back for most songs, letting Mirah build the opening chords before offering percussive accents. While most songs followed a fluid tonal composition, the abrupt shift in “The Forrest” proved a wonderful moment. The switch from covered mallets, which had been used for most songs, to a louder drum stick replaced the layered horns used on the album version.
The show also included some of Mirah’s most recent work with Thao Nguyen, and songs like “Hallelujah” made for a friendly companion to the more sparse songs taken from Advisory Committee. What resulted was a set that was safely removed from the folk genre, perhaps to the disappointment of some long time fans, but it showcased her expanding voice to great effect.
Boston’s Faces on Film provided opening support, and we wonder how long this opening slot will last. It was a strong Spring for the band, opening for Marissa Nadler (and even Richard Ashcroft!). The recently re-released Some Weather shows an extra level of Americana twang, accentuated for this show with Dave Hinckley’s guitar and Elio DeLuca on organ duty. Mike Fiore’s songs sound instantly recognizable, like a time delayed dream from the ‘60s, filtered through five decades of reverb. Keep a watch on them as they take part in a Fenway Recordings tour at the end of August.
DOWNLOAD: Mirah - Don't Die in Me (MP3) or Follow us for more Mirah MP3s (Twitter)
Two songs go in, one comes out. Pick a side.
thanks so much nadine! probably the best compliment a photog can get!
and thanks for reminding me to embed the video in the post too!
by Steve Benoit on Sun May 20, 2012 at 09.33 am from the entry: Father John Misty + Har Mar Superstar - Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA; May 16, 2012)
I can’t get over how these photos captured my up close memory of the night.
by nadine on Sat May 19, 2012 at 11.08 pm from the entry: Father John Misty + Har Mar Superstar - Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA; May 16, 2012)
Or should it be whoever? F my grammar.
by nadine on Sat May 19, 2012 at 10.30 pm from the entry: Father John Misty + Har Mar Superstar - Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA; May 16, 2012)
Whomever took these photos certainly captured the night!
by nadine on Sat May 19, 2012 at 10.26 pm from the entry: Father John Misty + Har Mar Superstar - Brighton Music Hall (Boston, MA; May 16, 2012)
“Mindkilla” is awesome. I’ve got this music video last week and really impressed through watching every performance particularly “Glass Jar”. Thanks dude. :)
dance contest
by Mark Waugh on Thu May 17, 2012 at 05.54 am from the entry: Gang Gang Dance's Illuminating "Mindkilla"
Also, I have yet to pay this venue a visit, is it good spot? good people, good vibe, good atmosphere?
... man, i hope i win some tickets…
by Jaz Bonnin-Aldatz on Thu May 17, 2012 at 12.27 am from the entry: It's all good, see Fishbone for free at Fête
Looking forward to the show. Would love to win some tix for my pals.
by MC Breath on Wed May 16, 2012 at 07.40 pm from the entry: It's all good, see Fishbone for free at Fête
