Nicole Atkins and the Sea - T.T. the Bear’s Place (Cambridge, MA; Feb. 15, 2008)

Holy hot, hot damn.

We’re usually fairly skeptical of lineup lists that can o’erwhelm our seemingly adequate character limit for article titles.  A headliner preceeded by three other bands is not an evening that we’d usually jump at the opportunity to cover.  However, Josh and I had been looking forward to this show for months.  Three, in fact; ever since we saw Nicole Atkins and the Sea open for The Pipettes in November, another show we had impatiently anticipated.  She promised us then that she’d be back in February, and Atkins was true to her word.  And as has been the case for many of the shows we’ve covered in Boston, we were more than a little thrilled with the openers, not to mention Atkins herself.

Atkins had to cancel her Saturday, Feb. 16 show in Buffalo, NY due to a sinus infection.  She said in a message that she had been singing on it for three days, and this had left her voice “shredded.” I was shocked to read this.  It’s true that I’ve been out of the singing world for about three years, and that even when I was rehearsing with people all the time I wasn’t always able to correct or necessarily hear all of the vocal ticks and problems presented; still, I figured I should be able to tell when someone’s sick.  Two explanations: 1) I’ve totally taken a piss w/r/t listening skills; or 2) Atkins, even when “shredded,” shreds.  Even though I’ve been listening to the album and live snippets and watching videos on youTube, I had forgotten just what it’s like to hear her in person.

At the last Boston show, we heard Judy Garland, we heard Rufus Wainwright.  After just a couple of short months, Atkins reached for the mic with her own voice and her own style.  The songs were the same; the band’s lineup hasn’t changed.  But their confidence and cohesiveness are significantly increased. Nicole Atkins and the Sea returned to Boston a more professional, more mature group.  Even with this new confidence, though, there are moments when we still see a new up-and-comer, rather than a probably-about-to-be star.  There was precious little banter and chatting with the crowd, perhaps because of the extensive lineup (the Parlor Mob started around 9:00; Atkins took the stage just after midnight).  Even so, a few times during her “thanks” following a song, we got a glimpse of the shy-girl eyes and blush, though partially shaded by that fantastic shock of dark bangs.

Atkins’ honesty on stage seems only to have increased with repetition, rather than growing stale as one (I, anyway) might expect.  In particular, her closing “Neptune City,” already a haunting consideration of place and time, was delivered a touch slower than as recorded.  This allowed Atkins to dwell (or at least linger) on some of her better lyrics: “Maybe if I paid attention / I could learn to love the landscape I was born to / By the river, in the rain / Let it make me new again.” She seemed to emphasize the “Let it” portion, underscoring her resistance and opposition, perhaps, to the place.  The down-tempo rendition highlighted this resistance, yielding a stubborn viscosity that builds throughout the next stanza.  Atkins doesn’t leave us with this angst, though, as she gloriously released into “I’m looking over Neptune City,” probably some of the highest-pitched singing she did all night (and a cursory analysis suggests it’s among the highest stuff she sings).  It’s actually a little shocking just how low her voice is.  As a tenor-because-that’s-what-you-sing-when-you-know-something-about-music, I’m actually a little jealous of her vocal range.  For a tenor.  Or anyone, really.

The band got downright hard-rockin’ on a couple of numbers, particularly “Carouselle,” Atkins’ confessed version of metal (though I don’t think she’d expect the D to be impressed), and on “Cool Enough.” “Carouselle” is angry and disappointed, for sure, a pissed-off homage bemoaning the sale of the Asbury Park carouselle that seems to hit its mark.  And on “Cool Enough,” as Atkins goes into “I don’t care where you’re going / You’re taking me with you,” guitarist dAve [sic] Hollinghurst and bassist Derek Layes get into a choppily rhythmic, driving, tight-mouthed groove that provides just the undercurrent of determination and grit that the moment requires.  Atkins’ writing and voice easily commanded this small, tightly packed venue; we’ll look forward to her packing larger spaces in Boston soon.  And already can’t wait for her to come back.

SET LIST

1. Skywriters
2. Maybe Tonight
3. Carouselle
4. Party’s Over
5. The Way It Is
6. Cool Enough
7. Kill the Headlights
8. Together We’re Both Alone
9. Brooklyn’s on Fire!
10. Teen Creep
11. Love Surreal
12. Neptune City
Encore: Pissing in a River (Patti Smith Cover)

Openers

The Parlor Mob - I first heard these guys on a video with Nicole Atkins, actually, from last year’s SXSW.  Though the video only showed covers, we were treated to real, dirty Southern-style Rock and Roll on Friday night.  The Parlor Mob is immediately accessible; they’re fun to watch, they’re clearly having fun doing their thing, and lead singer Mark Melicia has some kind of Robert Plant voice thing going on.  In fact, the entire sound is very Zeppelin-esque, but Melicia looks like he’s barely even working up there.  Surely, most men who sing that high, that powerfully, and that well are sweatin’ buckets; Melicia makes it look easy.  An album will be available on iTunes in March, with a CD due out in May.  The Parlor Mob is traveling with Atkins for a while on this tour, so you should definitely take advantage.

Sarah RabDAU & Self-Employed Assassins - It’s simply a thrilling, fantastic surprise to catch openers who really rock, who really have a good time on-stage, and who really make you happy you showed up early.  After the frenetic Parlor Mob, a simple setup of drum kit and keyboard seemed to be taking the evening in another, more low-key direction.  As it turned out, Sarah Rabdau on the 88s is anything but laid-back, both because of her hard-playing banging and her intense gaze.  She manages to flirt with and intimidate the crowd in a glance, and can slide all over her significant vocal range with ease.  Drummer Matt Graber is pretty much a machine: a machine with a performer’s instincts and a close friend’s congeniality.  He managed rhythms I thought only possible with a drum machine and an incredibly patient programmer.  An album is forthcoming (soon, apparently), but in the meantime you can catch Sarah Rabdau solo back at T.T. the Bear’s Place on Monday, February 25.  We’ll most certainly be there.

The Luxury - The Luxury came onstage with a setlist that had been intentionally toned-down.  They were told, when they were originally booked for the show, that their stuff was probably a little raucous for the evening, that they better play their more mellow stuff.  And so they came onstage with pre-printed setlists, which they abandoned a couple of numbers into their set, asking, basically, “Did you SEE The Parlor Mob?” Their more firey numbers actually suited the evening better, with the cohesive group bouncing off of and playing to each other.  Their music is more indie rock-ish as compared to the Mob, and a little more experimental.  They’re certainly a fun group to watch and hear, and I’d certainly not be adverse to seeing them again.

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