Amy LaVere

Lesson learned - don't show up late at Joe's Pub. I'm lamenting some of my favorite spaces for music moving to Brooklyn - yes, Knitting Factory, I'm talkin' to you! Luckily we still have Joe's, a nice, intimate space reminiscent of dark, tiered jazz places. With such cool accommodations and cheap covers (my ticket was only $12!), I think there is a two drink minimum. Most folks arrive early for dinner and drinks but I'm an unemployed lame-ass who accidentally arrived late, meaning I missed a few songs 'cause Joe's starts on time! On the plus side, being late got me out of any pressure to buy those expensive drinks and avoiding eye contact with the waiters.

So I'm at Joe's to see and hear Amy LaVere. I hadn't seen her live since a too short set opening for Swell Season at the Beacon. The Beacon has a shitty sound staff and the acoustics are awful so I was so glad to get the chance to hear her at Joe's. Amy and band were pitch perfect. For those not familiar with her work, she has an alt country sort of feel with some folk and jazz thrown in. She is my new favorite female vocalist; sorry Neko. Amy's velvet vocals and the use of only three in the band make for an absorbing and haunting set. She plays the bass with more of a percussive approach while Paul Taylor obsesses a bit much on his drums. During the show, Paul wondered if the rumble he was hearing, and no one in the audience could even discern, was really the subway or something the audio folks could fix. Never date a drummer. Steve Selvidge was a master on his guitar and I had my socks knocked off on a few songs where his talents were highlighted including a good use of the twangy old-fashion sound of classic Memphis country guitar. With the glow of blue lights on a dark stage, it was like I was on a movie set, with really great music!

Amy shared some antidotes between songs, about being on Conan O'Brien the night before, envying Madonna's cone bra, being told she had to earn the cone bra, and then getting to wear a Gaultier dress for the show! My favorite vignette was about the true story behind her song, Killing Him, which happens to be one of my favorite songs. Turns out the inspiration for the song came from her friend's recounting of the arrest of a woman accused of killing her husband of 30 years. As she was being hauled off, the woman said, "Killing him didn't make the love go away." and thus poetic lyrics are born. Next time you watch Cops, think about that.

I enjoyed the set very much, although I thought it too short, but the standout for me was her rendition of Green Grass. In her voice, as she opened with "Lay your head where my heart used to be," I was absorbed. Nothing could detract from her sultry and slightly melancholic beauty that captured that song better than anyone I've heard. It is not an easy song to deliver correctly and quite often the imagery and words get wasted on harsh vocals or drown out by too many instruments. For a truly horrendous version, you could always torture yourself by listening to Scarlett Johansson butcher it - my guess is she was channeling Marlene Dietrich which is just wrong for this song. Lucky for me, the guy selling her stuff said Amy is releasing a new CD this year and that song will be on it. Yeah! Now I just need to cleanse my ears by listening to Pointless Drinking 'cause lord knows I'm trying to find some meaning to my next bar visit.