though your hair may be shorn I still find you full of greatness. Take that Samson.

My week has been very music filled. On Sunday night I went with my younger brother to the Shelburne Museum where we saw a pretty decent Feist with the interesting opener Juana Molina. Usually I’m not so keen on a lot of loopy loops during a concert. I feel like if musician is performing solo than they should be able to just play by themselves without any electronic augmentation (i.e. drum machine, recorded backing vocals, etc.). If extra stuff is needed then bring other people. What won me over though was the extreme skill used with the loops. Calling the harmonies complex wouldn’t do them justice. I have trouble singing just one part and she was able to sing upwards of three distinct parts pitch perfect and in time with the already looping vocals. I have absolutely no idea what she is singing about in Spanish, but that’s ok.

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Feist on the other hand left me wanting more. My brother had gone to see her play in Burlington (my home town) at the beginning of the school year and had raved about it being the best concert he’d ever seen. Granted he’s said this before on numerous occasions, but with stories of being invited up on to the stage to dance for the last song, I was hoping for some great live music. Instead, my favorite part of the headliner’s set was the elaborate shadow puppetry created individually for each song. Using everything from prisms stimulating jewelry to smeared fingerpaint to create waves and a ship to glittering stars I found myself more inclined to watch the screen behind the performers (which also had live a live video feed which was used entertainingly once inside of a piano trained on the hammers hitting the keys) than the people making the music. When I go to a concert I want to be wowed by the raw power of the performers and unable to take my eyes off of them. This may be just a personal preference but when people play guitars I want to be able to feel like the guitar is being played and not just a part of the mix. Opinions?

She wasn’t bad and some songs were really great, but it lacked for me the tension which makes me love rock and roll.

One Grammy nominee down, one to go. The next night I went with the parentals to go see Orchestra Baobab, from Dakar, Senegal.


I haven’t always loved Orchestra Baobab. I was first introduced to them on a family trip to Utah in seventh grade when, my dad having just discovered them and being in possession of their Grammy nominated (see)  CD Pirate’s choice, played it over, and over, and over, and over, and over. I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I estimated the total number of times listened to the CD on that week long trip at around 50. I first saw them live during my freshman year in high school, and while my memory is a bit cloudy I can without hesitation describe it as a great show. This was right after they had done some MTV serial where Dave Matthews and Trey Anastasio had gone to Africa to play music with them and there were all sorts of rumors about which special guests would show. Trey played about half of a set with them which, not being a Phishhead as so many fellow Vermonters seem to be, lacked the epicness experienced the other people at the concert.

But this show on Monday was great! By the end of the first song they had me dancing and the tenor-saxophone player from the above video offered me a tambourine to play. I love the tambourine and I love Orchestra Baobab. Great horns, great vocals and great guitars! I love a good ska-beat and nothing gets me bopping quite like those off-beats. The rhythm guitarist  was very solid and was a super-fast chord hopper. The lead guitarist was very modest but ridiculously fast and melodic with the rhythmic lines that underscored each song.

The rest of the week I either napped or spread the good word. Please don’t watch the trailer.

I saw it again today and it still made me cry.

Happy Birthday Bentro.