Brooke Waggoner at The Belcourt

When Brooke Waggoner sold out The Belcourt last summer, nobody saw it coming. Even with roughly 400 seats in the theater, even with a Nashville-sized guest list, Waggoner was still a local artist releasing her first album. There are a few local bands in town that can command that kind of audience, but they’ve all been clawing their way to the top for more than a decade. Comparatively, Waggoner is relatively new at this—her debut was released last year—but clearly she’s doing something right. Her delicately constructed piano-pop songs benefit from classical training and profoundly skillful arrangements, putting her in the same league as Regina Spektor and Ingrid Michaelson. After being called “The Best of What’s Next”—along with Janelle Monáe and Bon Iver—by Paste Magazine, Waggoner has some work to do to live up to those high expectations.
Thu., Nov. 19, 8 p.m., 2009