A response I composed to a friend detailing the show tonight...sorry for the disjointed, informal writing, but I didn't want to write about it twice


it was really killin...different as always from the other stuff. one or 2 of the tunes she played at trash bar that night, but they had developed a lot... texturally, it reminded me of "godspeed you black emperor" (the band, not the movie)-- ambient, reverb sounds, guitars, violas, like rain dripping down a window-- but most of the songs were 2 minutes long. the melodies were sometimes stylistically "emo", and sometimes the chord structures were too. it felt like music for a dying world. lyrics like... "I gave my baby a blackberry... she lost her mind" and "I get excited by blood on the curb" and "I hope you all die young." Not angry, like TWHMMTMOMD... just reflective and occasionally hopeful.

it was mark kelley on bass (4 string!), greg something on gtr & pedal steel, eric something on elec. mandolin, viola, accordion and vocals on a few songs, an israeli drummer named yuval laiyon (real tight and subtle... a lefty), and meshell mostly on vocal duties and trading around bass, gtr, keys, etc. very cool, and they had only rehearsed for the first time yesterday, so i think it will grow the next 2 shows.

she was in good spirits too... repeatedly thanking the audience for trying music they hadn't heard before, and adding that it was the most fun she had in years.

Thanks Gin!
I'm very very curious to hear this stuff now

Thanks for the review!

And with that, I'm off to buy tickets to the 5/12 set at the Mercury Lounge. Will write a review. Man: Erykah Badu at Radio City on 5/9 then Meshell on 5/12, Adele on 6/10 and Jamie Lidell on 6/9. Do it get any better?