Index of Shows | Homepage | Upcoming Shows | Write to me
Tonight is an evening called Legal Love, and benefits MassEquality.Org, so I'm feeling very personally engaged in all this, and thrilled to see how many people have turned out on a Sunday night. Arriving late, I'm in time for Paula Kelley and her orchestra. This outfit is totally professional. Everyone sounds totally clean and tight, including Justin, who is filling in on drums. I'll confess that Paula's mannered, retro-pop songwriting doesn't really do it for me, but I can hear the craft that went into putting them together, and they play them beautifully. The two men singing lush high harmonies in gorgeous falsetto are a treat.
Annie Clark has me in her pocket before she even technically starts her set, as she plays and sings an ex tempore sound check song (lyrics include "can I have more vocal in the monitor please?") and the band joins in seamlessly. The band comprising drums and electric cello; this looks good. And so it proves to be, as Annie's ebullient stage presence is matched by jazzy, powerful vocals, kick-ass guitar, and a whole lot of complicated, capable support from the rhythm section. The drumming is creative and solid, with lots of unexpected rhythm changes. The electric cellist mostly gives us fat, funky plucked bass lines, but occasionally he bows buttery-rich low parts or crunchy distorted high pizzicato rhythms. And Annie's singing is mostly delicate highs, but with an occasional growl or scream thrown in that keeps it from getting lightweight. The tunes are a little light on melodic hooks, but heavy on weird chord progressions and raw talent.
Besides which, Ad Frank's got melodic hooks enough for everyone. He has some technical problems getting set up, but Paula Kelley's keyboard comes to the rescue. Ad plays us a few of his gorgeous, bittersweet songs of love gone horribly wrong, then Clayton Scoble joins him on guitar and vocals for an aptly chosen cover. (The chorus refusing to let the neighbors run your life.) Alas, the evening has run late, so that's all we have time for.
