Komedia, 15 August 2010
Colorado born Laura Veirs has gathered a cult status over her past seven albums with magical realist lyrics and folky handpicked charm. Support tonight comes from the backing band’s solo projects tonight, firstly from guitarist Karl Blau and then from experimental viola player Alex Guy.
Blau’s socially awkward attempts to chat with the audience are charming as he plays through his solo stuff. “I’m not very good at talking, I’m much better at singing songs,” he concedes. About song Memphis he admits “I have never played that song successfully – I play it really well on my own.” The music is leaning toward the country-side of things, the lyrics are about nature; “How about a dirt clod / What about a nightingales song / How about a ripe strawberry.”
Viola player Alex Guy has a natural and easy stage presence. “I’m chuffed to be here. Is that the right word; chuffed? I was going to say chafed.” Hunched over to reach her delay pedal, she loops plucking and melodramatic baroque strings to create deep and gorgeous waves of dripping sound. Guy plays tracks from her new album “Into the Darkening Sky”, and the attention of the audience is caught with her intelligent song writing and musicianship; you could hear a pin drop when she plays.
At 9.30pm, Laura Veirs enters stage and the band come together and play for an hour and a half with Tucker Martine on drums, Guy on viola and keyboard, Blau on guitar. Her trademark glasses and plaits strike a youthful picture that belies Veirs’ years of experience and four month-old backstage. Highlights come mainly from most recent album “July Flame.” They sing “Carol Kaye” – a homage to the famous bass player who, at 10,000 sessions, is one of the most recorded bass players ever. Other strong tracks include “Life Is Good Blues” and “Make Something Good.”
There are moments of ad libbing that serve to strengthen the performance. The band experiment and play around, Blau fails and then succeeds to count in to a song, Guy plays on a song she never has before. An impressive performance.
Words by Lizzie Simner
lauraveirs.com
