as always, live oak festival was incredible. another year of soulful music (and by soulful i mean music that gets you in the bones, in your feet, in your heart and that makes your booty shake a beat). but truly the act that blew me away and that i can't shake from my mind is michelle shocked.
i've been a pretty big michelle shocked fan for a long time (over ten years, my god.). not fan-atical. i don't know any of her personal facts or what she eats (please). but have learned at least seven songs on the guitar. and i don't think i went on a road trip in the nineties without my trusty copy of short sharp shocked. arkansas traveler also became a trusted travel companion (and you know i lent that cd out, never got it back and now you can't get copies in the stores).
i was really looking forward to the show. i tried not to get my hopes too up, after the super-disappointing lucinda show. but, got up at 5:30 in the morning to guarantee excellent seats. third-row center. not bad. and although you could get up and dance to many of the songs, i could not pry myself from my seat. instead just transfixed watching michelle and her amazing band the perverse allstars. twice i found tears streaming down my cheeks (you've gotta listen to "isn't it amazing" and i'm sure you'll at least get choked up yourself).
that was two days ago. and now i'm listening to deep natural (in my walkman specifically so i can hear every note and each word). all of the words i want to type would just sound ridiculous ("awesome," "amazing," "incredible" ... all of your typically overused adjectives).
so let me tell you this instead. this is an album i want to buy for everyone. that is how much i like it. now, i can't afford that. but there are two or three of you that might be getting this in the mail. and because michelle publishes on her own label (assembled and shrink wrapped each and every one of the cds, in fact) i could never burn and pass this on.
besides the "amazing" songs and the "awesome" sound... the live performance was practically a spiritual experience. and i am not just saying that. again... words can't do it justice. but she (and her "incredibly" tight, talented, and [ahem] handsome band) came out bursting with joy and love. this sounds corny in print. i know that. so just trust me. and the audience -- every one at the main stage -- just gave it right back to her. which supercharged michelle and band and a circle of energy was created. people at times had tears during songs (not crazy crying, but tears in the eyes or wiped from cheeks). other times people were dancing like wildcats, full-blown participating in choruses...
i'll go out on a limb and say that was the best show i've ever seen. (well, i know for sure this is in my top five. top three. vying for the grand prize).
just a great show.
and a treat was her guitarist, fiachna o'braonain, who also plays for hothouse flowers. funny because at the same time that i was getting turned on to michelled shocked i was getting turned on to hothouse flowers. and i remember the way their songs used to stick to my heart as well and at times make tears stream down my face. and i don't mean that in a tearful, mournful, sorrowful way. but the tears of... shared human experience? i don't know what. so let's just chalk it up to really good art. i also lent out one of my hothouse flowers cds and never got it back (though fairly i must tell you that my friend lent me two billy braggs for a listen to the hhf and i've still got the billy bragg).
after the show there was a "barn" dance -- that was salsa band salson mixing it up with the latin grooves. michelle's trumpet player, rich armstrong got up on stage with them while michelle and fiachna danced on the dance floor. i stood next to fiachna for a moment or two and i just feel compelled to (ridiculously) state right here that he is a delightfully tall man [insert wink].
go go go and buy deep natural. there is no physical way you could be disappointed with it.
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