Marissa Nadler @ InStore space in Sound Fix. Picture by Elizabeth Fraser Photography, credited to The Tyranny of Ducks.
I'm not quite sure what I was expecting when I went to go see Marissa Nadler play the final In-Store show at Sound Fix last night, but I was definitely surprised with what I got. First of all, since this was a kind of "end of the era" show for the once thriving record store, I expected the house to be packed. Add Marissa Nadler, and I expected there to be a decent line out the door. Add the fact that the show was FREE, and I thought there was no chance in hell we'd get in. Well, not ONE of my premenitions came true, because when my friends and I showed up "late" (about only 5 minutes early for the show), we simply and easily walked back into the performance space, and staked out a decent spot 6 heads into the crowd. True, we could have gotten a nice seated spot if we had come earlier, but we were in no way complaining. There were perhaps 5 dozen people in the space by the time Marissa Nadler took the stage, and not many more showed up after that.
For Marissa's performance, I have this to say: grim's fairytale. Standing and listening to Marissa Nadler playing live for 50 minutes made me feel like I was slipping slowly and deeply into a twisted fairytale, that wished to lure me in with comfort, but would eventually snag my heart if I let myself go too far down. Her voice was beautiful (though wavered a few times) and the simplicity of a duo of guitars really let the etherealness wash over the beautiful InStore space and everyone who had come out to see her. My only complaint is I think 50 minutes of her type of music is perhaps a little too much (for me, at least). My friend who had never even heard Marissa Nadler's music before last night, said," You know, one up beat song occassionally wouldn't hurt her" and I had to agree. It's very enticing to be trapped in Marissa's grim fairytale (just let it take you down, lose yourself in the twisted tales) but if you shake off that feeling, and simply sit with the music for awhile, it can become a bit too much. Marissa closed with a lovely, lovely banjo melody, which I adored and pulled me back in to nicely close things off, but in the end, it was a little too late to make me love the whole set. Odd, no one asked for more from her when she was over. We clapped and a few whistled, but I sensed a collective feeling of, "That's enough!"
Overall, it was a decent show and I enjoyed it. I can't believe this space is closing down (and how small the crowd was last night). It's a sad, sad thing, especially with such a unique space and all of those lovely LPs hanging around the store. After the show (and a PBR or two), my friends and I shuffled through the CDs and LPs, and I felt like I was back in high school and Waterloo in Austin, looking for my next, new inspiration of great music. I should go to record store more often.
Quack.
For Marissa's performance, I have this to say: grim's fairytale. Standing and listening to Marissa Nadler playing live for 50 minutes made me feel like I was slipping slowly and deeply into a twisted fairytale, that wished to lure me in with comfort, but would eventually snag my heart if I let myself go too far down. Her voice was beautiful (though wavered a few times) and the simplicity of a duo of guitars really let the etherealness wash over the beautiful InStore space and everyone who had come out to see her. My only complaint is I think 50 minutes of her type of music is perhaps a little too much (for me, at least). My friend who had never even heard Marissa Nadler's music before last night, said," You know, one up beat song occassionally wouldn't hurt her" and I had to agree. It's very enticing to be trapped in Marissa's grim fairytale (just let it take you down, lose yourself in the twisted tales) but if you shake off that feeling, and simply sit with the music for awhile, it can become a bit too much. Marissa closed with a lovely, lovely banjo melody, which I adored and pulled me back in to nicely close things off, but in the end, it was a little too late to make me love the whole set. Odd, no one asked for more from her when she was over. We clapped and a few whistled, but I sensed a collective feeling of, "That's enough!"
Overall, it was a decent show and I enjoyed it. I can't believe this space is closing down (and how small the crowd was last night). It's a sad, sad thing, especially with such a unique space and all of those lovely LPs hanging around the store. After the show (and a PBR or two), my friends and I shuffled through the CDs and LPs, and I felt like I was back in high school and Waterloo in Austin, looking for my next, new inspiration of great music. I should go to record store more often.
Quack.
3 comments:
ROAR, it's as if I was there! I had a ton of fun, Bliz. Good times! I downloaded that Diamond Heart song...
I appreciated that place's silver jewry after the show too.
You, bochmeister, and I should start scratching so that we have a legitimate reason to play with the record players in record stores.
...new plan of action?
roarxoOXXoXroar
Most def, plan of action 2009! Learn to scratch, eat more avocados... We're on a roll!
ps - I'm glad you enjoyed it! See what can happen in the W'burg?
Post a Comment