Little Anchor
November 2, 2010
Rockwood Music Hall - Stage 1
Lovely as always to see Little Anchor. This was the second time I saw them performing at Rockwood Music Hall. I've said it before, but I'll say it again, the final song gets to me every single time. It's totally meant for a live performance, so I hope you all get to experience it sometime.
Josh Groban
November 15, 2010
N/A
No, I did not see Josh Groban perform live in the month of November, although I had some missed opportunities. I won't dwell on that, since I saw other wonderful performances in place of Josh. With his new album, Illuminations, a lot of promotions and pre-tour concerts have been going on, and I officially can't keep up with him like I used to. Anyway, when I'm not listening to Brooke Fraser's Flags, I'm listening to Illuminations. With the early listens of Illuminations, it took a while for a couple of the songs to grow on me, but I can honestly say, this is my favorite album that Josh has done. There's so much of his own artistic vision in this album that you can just hear and feel. And I love that his love songs are about the gray areas of love. I'm not going to single out any one song to discuss because then I'd feel bad for not blogging about the others. Just do yourself a favor and listen to Illuminations.
Brooke Fraser
November 19, 2010
Highline Ballroom
This was my first time seeing Brooke Fraser in concert. If you've read my "Play Me, I'm Yours" piano blogs, then you'll know the story behind getting into the music of this particular artist, so I won't re-tell it here. Janice was in town, and I got us both tickets back in the summer. I knew there would be table seating, but I wasn't interested in spending an additional 2-3 hours before the concert began just to get a good seat. Janice and I spent the day shopping, getting doughnuts at Doughnut Plant, eating dinner at Lan Cafe, and resting/snacking on said doughnuts at Chelsea Market. A little before 7:30, we made our way to Highline Ballroom, and the usher at the door said, "Standing room only." I was prepared for SRO, but we got there in time to secure the best standing viewpoint in the venue: dead center, right behind the very last row of tables. Perfect!
No offense to the opening act, Sam Bradley, but I really couldn't wait for Brooke to begin her show! Before it began, a woman made an announcement for no flash photography and no video recording. I knew other people in the audience were filming, so I decided to just enjoy the concert. Sometimes, when you hold up a camera, you lose your sense of actually being at the concert and focus more about camera work so you see the concert through a tiny little screen instead of being there in the moment of seeing the artist onstage. And by "you," I mean me. I was able to soak it all in. Brooke and her band were phenomenal. While I didn't film the concert, I of course took some pictures!
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| Pretty sure this is "C.S. Lewis Song" by the placement of the capo and the fact that I made a point to take a picture at this particular moment, considering how much I love the song. |
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| Brooke Fraser on her new keyboard, Angelo |
A couple highlights for me were when she invited us to sing along to "Deciphering Me" and "Shadowfeet." What an honor. (As a concertgoer, I won't sing along unless we are specifically asked to. I find it rude when others sing when they aren't asked to, but I never have the guts to shush someone because they are probably having a good time singing along to their favorite artist.)
The final number (aka the second encore) was "Coachella." Janice and I discussed beforehand that if Brooke didn't sing it, Janice would yell out the song title to request it. Alas, she didn't have to! And based on the little story before Brooke performed the song, I will now think of "Cold Shower" as the honorary title. (Oh no you didn't!)
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| "Coachella" |
Anna Nalick
November 30, 2010
Rockwood Music Hall - Stage 2
Where do I even begin? Let's just say that it thrilled me to no end when Anna Nalick revived her Facebook and joined Twitter in August 2010 to let her fans know she was back. And when she released "The Lullaby Singer" on her website, it was all I would listen to while working because, well, the website looped the song. :) There's no other female American singer-songwriter of my generation who can craft amazing melody and creative, unique lyrics as well as Anna Nalick. It's a lofty statement, but hear me out. Or, read me out. She can turn something so personal into something identifiable for all her listeners. Her lyrics are never trite. Her music got me through a transitional period in my life -- my post-college job search and my first post-college job commute. Her second album that never came out also had music -- one song, specifically -- that I needed a couple years ago. So her return this summer was most welcome.
Anna's free concert at Rockwood Music Hall was simply amazing. OK, it was just too short, but for an industry showcase, I'm so glad it was also done for the public -- her fans.
Break Me Open
Words
Lullaby Singer
All Fall Down
Straitjacket
Shine
Breathe (2 AM)
Paper Bag
Just watch this heartbreakingly beautiful rendition of "All Fall Down" that I found on YouTube. As I said at the beginning of my blog, if I could re-live these concerts without YouTube, I would. But I can't help but be grateful for YouTube.
After the show, Alexa and I were able to talk to Anna outside Rockwood Music Hall. It was totally worth the wait -- big thanks to Alexa for convincing me to stay. While there were several fans and industry folks who wanted to talk to Anna, she made sure she talked to us as well, and I'm really thankful for that experience.
