Nov. 8 - Amy Millan @ DC9
11 November 2009
Artist: Amy Millan
------ Bahamas
------ Canary
Date: November 8, 2009
Location: DC9, Washington DC
HEY Y'ALL. I've tried to write this entry about 397 times now and, every time, I've fallen asleep. Considering it's now multiple days overdue, giving it another go seems like a good--and, because it's the middle of the night, possibly productive--idea. In celebration of the music (and because I feel like it), the entry will have a heavy-handed country tint that may or may not simply mean gratuitous overuse of the word "y'all."
Like a tumbleweed rollin' down a dusty country road, Stars and Broken Social Scene's Amy Millan traversed the northernmost America for much of October and November in support of her second solo album, Masters of the Burial. Though clearly looking forward to being home, Millan and her band--affectionately referred to as her "Secret Weapon," formerly Tumbleweeds (which would have been so much more convenient for today's theme)--were eager and gracious performers Sunday night at DC9. Their witty commentary, impromptu ditties, and packed setlist flowed more abundantly than whiskey from the bar.
(And now that my secret goal of becoming Blanche Devereaux in an episode of Golden Girls has been realized... let's get to main dish. But only after discussing Martin Royle and Bahamas--skip ahead to the boldly titled main section if you're feeling impatient).
Currently known as Canary, Martin Royle served as the night's unexpected opener. Though I spotted him downstairs prior to the show, his absence from DC9's online schedule led me to believe he was present for support in the non-musical sense. Despite the new epithet, Royle's music was much the same as it was in previous encounters. Personal standards--such as the charmingly clever "If Time Ran Backwards"--were alternated with newer numbers, including "Christ, I'm Tired," a song inspired by an encounter with "young Torquil [Campbell]" in Montreal.
Following Canary, scheduled openers Bahamas delivered a mix of legitimately lovely music and legitimately head-scratching banter. With just two people in the band, Afie Jurvanen's guitar skills were allowed to shine and seemed to be a room-wide (albeit a mostly stoic room) hit. The music effectively ran the gamut from winsome, understated love songs to punchy dance songs to occasionally atmospheric guitar. Jurvanen's personality was perhaps less universally appealing, especially early in the show. He wasn't hesitant to call out people in the audience for chatter, phone use, or other taboos, making it sometimes unapparent whether his intention was to be (dryly) humorous, to passive-aggressively express irritation, or a mixture of both. By the end of the set, however, the crowd had grown endeared to Jurvanen's unconventional humor. His willingness to engage in a little repartee--whether with the guy in the front row who failed to meet the skinny jeans stereotype of the tour's usual audiences or the person who asked, "What was her name? What'd she do to your poor heart?," when it came time for the love songs--elicited more than a few smiles both on and off stage.
Amy Millan
I don't know that I can adequately express how much I was looking forward to this show (though my continual geeking/awkwardness around Amy Millan perhaps hints at exactly how much). Masters of the Burial has grown on me considerably in recent weeks and is doing a commendable job of getting me through these Stars-less months. Accordingly, I was eager to hear the songs--and Millan's signature, soothing croon--in person.
The set opened with the unrecorded "Someday," an a cappella melody performed by Millan and band members Dan Whiteley and Doug Tielli. From there, the selections--totaling 17 songs chosen from both Masters and previous effort Honey from the Tombs--moved on to more familiar material:
Someday
Low Sail
Losin' You
Come Home Loaded Roadie
Old Perfume
Ruby II
Run For Me
Lost Compass
Bruised Ghosts
Baby I
Finish Line
Skinny Boy
Towers
I Will Follow You Into the Dark
----------------
Day to Day
He Brings Out the Whiskey In Me
Bury This
Whereas the live songs seemed distinctly subdued in 2006, many of the old favorites seemed to get quite the instrumental push this time around. "Skinny Boy," in particular, sounded fuller and each instrument even more distinct. At no point, however, was Millan's whisper of a voice (sounding more pure and precise than ever) overpowered. Credit should be given to her band--consisting of the aforementioned Whiteley and Tielli, as well as Christine Bougie and Darcy Yates--who maintained this careful balance while displaying their musical chops across the stage.
Someday
Low Sail
Losin' You
Come Home Loaded Roadie
Old Perfume
Ruby II
Run For Me
Lost Compass
Bruised Ghosts
Baby I
Finish Line
Skinny Boy
Towers
I Will Follow You Into the Dark
----------------
Day to Day
He Brings Out the Whiskey In Me
Bury This
Whereas the live songs seemed distinctly subdued in 2006, many of the old favorites seemed to get quite the instrumental push this time around. "Skinny Boy," in particular, sounded fuller and each instrument even more distinct. At no point, however, was Millan's whisper of a voice (sounding more pure and precise than ever) overpowered. Credit should be given to her band--consisting of the aforementioned Whiteley and Tielli, as well as Christine Bougie and Darcy Yates--who maintained this careful balance while displaying their musical chops across the stage.
As Millan herself acknowledged early on when she pondered, "I'm a lucky girl, so why do I write such sad, sad songs?," lost love was the recurrent musical theme of the night. With lyrics such as, "I always thought you were the one / I guess I still do," (from "Losin' You") and, "I wish I could have said / All that was in my head," (from Weeping Tile's "Old Perfume"), the evening could have easily turned dark. The mood, however, was saved from such melancholy by the band's ebullience. Not a between-song moment passed that wasn't filled with a droll observation--DC's host of politicians really must require an equally sizable number of call girls--or laughter regarding one or another band member's inability to remember the music. And, of course, lost love was put on the back burner for the night's more impromptu songs, one of which can be heard here. (Another: "We'll be drinking whiskey until the night is through / Until then, we'll just keep on rocking you.")
As with all of my favorite shows, everyone on stage seemed to sincerely enjoy each other's company. Millan and mandolin expert/multi-instrumentalist Whiteley seemed particularly chummy, often shooting glances and amused grins at each other. Of course, given their long friendship--"He Brings Out the Whiskey In Me" is always prefaced as being inspired by Whiteley--such camaraderie is to be expected. Millan humorously referred to him and the rest of the band as her "weapons of mass seduction."
As was the case in 2006, the intra-band intimacy extended well beyond the stage. Those of us in the audience felt like we were not just witness to great camaraderie, but also a part of it. Millan deemed the show the best of the tour--barring not even those played before enthusiastic crowds in the Great White North--and, judging by attentiveness alone, the audience was equally approving of what it saw. I, for one, left fully content, all the better prepared to endure another considerable stretch of time without Stars. (Word on that front is touring in summer 2010... start saving your money, y'all.)
Now that it's 4am and writing has failed miserably at making me tired, I shall leave you with just a few photos from the night. Hope everyone enjoyed the show as much as I did.
Note: While largely unrelated to this review, I encourage you to partake in the joy and amusement that is this photo. Credit for the photo goes to Amy Millan, whose suggestion it was to once again share it with the world.
Labels: show review
