Monday, January 30, 2012
The Spin Kathleen Edwards w/Hannah Georgas at Exit/In, 1/28/12
Posted by The Spin on Mon, Jan 30, 2012 at 11:11 AM
Exit/In filled its vault to nearly full capacity Saturday night by scheduling Canadian singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards, an early-Aughts SXSW sensation who wooed journalists and music execs alike in 2003 when they detected heavy traces of Lucinda Williams. Now, as the female market trends away from alt-twangers (it’s been 20 years since Sheryl Crow’s debut, you know), Edwards has decided to rip it up and start again, and on her fourth release (the barely fortnight-old Voyageur) she is not alone. Voyeur indeed, Edwards stares through the lens of Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver) — the album's producer and Edwards' recent romantic interest — whose presence permeates Voyageur. What’s funny is that the word "voyageur" literally refers to a woodsman who used to trade fur along the U.S.-Canadian border — clearly a metaphor that summarizes their back-and-forth visiting of late — but there’s also Bon Iver’s music, which possesses the haunting yet chilly eloquence one might associate with a woodsman crossing frigid waters. Chilly and chapped cheeks might explain why Vernon sings in a pained and spooky-high falsetto. Wisconsin (Vernon’s home turf, where Edwards recently moved) does seem very cold.
Speaking of relocating, Edwards first played “Empty Threat,” an easy-to-like, Tom Petty-style rock song that perked up an audience made drowsy (if pensive) by opener Hannah Georgas. However, the next tune, “Chameleon/Comedian,” started as a smooth yet dark country tune and ended in a cathartic blues freak-out, immediately reminding The Spin of post-Buckingham and Nicks Fleetwood Mac. After we detected optimistic synth-pop on “Change the Sheets,” Edwards then performed “Goodnight, California,” a despondent and mournful mid-tempo ballad that ends with the same redundant and furiously blazing solos present on “I’m So Afraid,” from Fleetwood Mac’s self-titled album — which, the previous night, was performed by Nashville institutions The Long Players over at Mercy Lounge. Oh, and guess who then got onstage to perform! Justin Vernon! Guess what he played! A badass guitar solo that melted faces while channeling Lindsay Buckingham! Mystical.
Despite the presence of Vernon — a four-time Grammy nominee — the main event of the night was definitely Edwards’ catharsis: Not only does she rock out like Neil Young, but given some of the crass comments she made during the performance, it seems she’s embraced what appears to be a mean case of the don’t-give-a-shits. “I’m born-again drinker,” Edwards said as she sipped whiskey from a coffee mug and belched. When her tuner wouldn’t work properly, she called it a “dickhead.” And she twice silenced a chatty audience member, punishing the crowd with a little inevitable awkwardness. With her new sound, Edwards is definitely going places. But she then told us that, 2008 in the Mercy Lounge parking lot, she felt hell-bound. “I was in a really bad place at the time,” she recalled, “and I wrote this song right before I got onstage," playing the revealing “Going to Hell” to close her set.
Comments (4)
Showing 1-4 of 4
"moving to america" is actually called "empty threat". also, she didn't play "for the record" at all. the song you are referring to (featuring Justin Vernon's face-melter) was "goodnight, california". aso, it's only been 18 or 19 years since Sheryl Crow's debut, but that may have been intentional sarcasm.
like
dislike
That opening song is titled "Empty Threat" not "Moving To America" and The Long Players performed the Fleetwood Mac album the night before, not the same night. Otherwise a solid review! I liked the moment after the surprise appearance by Bon Iver (and that was a melty-face solo) when Kathleen told the crowd "you can put your phones away now".
Vote here for best Band of the Week
Slideshows
Top Commenters
