All of a sudden, every moment of my time became occupied and I have left you dear readers in want. Luckily, I had a 4 1/2 hour plane ride and no cash for a Dig-E-player. This made time for me to tell you what the heck I've been up to that could be more important than my weblog!
Brandi Carlile @ Triple Door
On Dec 4th, I saw my first show at Triple Door. It is usually a Jazz venue, but that day was a special double performance night for Brandi Carlile. Most lesbians in Seattle know that Brandi is one of about 3 events that can get lesbians out past midnight on a weekday. And there is a very good reason for that -- Brandi is phenomenal! In the past I had only caught her show in bits and pieces. One highlight I do remember is when she sung an a ccapella cover of Radiohead's 'Creep' at Duke's in Eastlake. She is probably one of the few people who can do that brilliant song justice. So, to take a bit of a step back, I should first talk about how excellent it is to experience Triple Door. The theatre is very intimate, filled with booths and tables that face the stage. I do recommend eating dinner because the food is phenomenal. I had some shrimp with some sort of tangy sauce that was so good I wanted to rub it all over my body. The service is amazing. They are very attentive and love to top off your wine and water, I suppose so you don't miss any of the show. All your senses at the Triple Door are tickled.
I was just as impressed with Brandi and the band. They were tight, professional, fun and passionate. Their songs are beautifully written and performed from the heart. Brandi has a stage presence despite her youth. I would be surprised if she didn’t hit the charts soon.
There were two highlights to the show. The first was the opener. Unfortunately (this is one reason I never became a journalist) I didn’t get his name and can’t seem to find it on it her site anywhere. So if anyone knows who it was PLEASE let me know and I’ll post. [Edit: Thanks to 'Anonymous' for telling me the opener... Rafe Pearlman. Thanks!] He was pretty good until the last song that he performed. At that point, he blew my mind. It was a Native American, well, ballad, really. The only instruments were his voice and his intensity. During the hymn the audience sat unbreathing. Unthinking. Unjudging. Full emotion. The room was entirely still except for his voice echoing off the walls as if he were chanting into a canyon in the middle of the desert. Penetrating passion. He made me nostalgic for a way of life my mind does not recall.
Brandi embraced that energy and built on it through the rest of the night. She played part of the evening full instrumental and part acoustic. She told stories about her life and experiences that were witty and personal. You felt like you knew her. Like she’s chillin’ in your basement strumming songs.
The second highlight made Brandi not only your friend, but your family, too. She did something she said she’d never done before (except at the 8:30 show). She invited her sister to join her on stage to perform a song. Her sister’s voice was beautiful and complimenting. You could imagine their holidays together, even as Brandi told antidotes. It was a lovely performance, a gracious venue, and a enchanting evening. Brandi deserves to go very far. And seeing that she’s traveling on Tour with Johnny Lang, she probably will.
