3 posts tagged “el perro del mar”

Went to a great club show the other day. Can't really call it a concert, as it was in a pretty small venue (the Middle East Upstairs, which is even smaller than Downstairs I think). But it was an excellent time.

We were pretty late to the show. The show was supposed to start at 9pm but due to overindulging at Midwest Grille, a Brazilian "Churrasco" restaurant (you know, one of those where they just keep coming and filling your plate with fresh cuts of meat). The sirloin was particularly good and the Caipirinha was an excellent "dessert". But it did mean we didn't show up at the Middle East until nearly 10.

But lucky for us, the first act was just getting warmed up.  Anna Ternheim was brand new to me, but between her guitar playing, clear voice, enchanting accent, and cute-as-a-button looks, I was hooked from the start. Her songs had an engaging personalness and were sung with feeling and verve. And her cover of China Doll blew me away. I talked with her a bit after her set and she was as nice in person as she seemed on stage. Her first real North American tour, it continued to Montreal the next day and on across North America. I later bought her US debut CD, Halfway to Fivepoints, which she graciously signed. Anna explained that it was much more orchestrated than her solo set, but that didn't worry me at all. Also, see V♥M's Anna Ternhiem post.

Anna was followed by Lykke Li, who opened up the sound quite a bit. Adding a drummer and keyboardist, Lykke showed some serious dance chops, with some great beats and plenty of energy. It was funny, as we were talking with someone in the audience before Lykke came out and he wanted to know about El Perro, who he wasn't familiar with, while we were in the opposite boat, having never heard Lykke Li before. Lykke later came out to accompany El Perro Del Mar.

And it was El Perro Del Mar that originally brought us to the Middle East. And she was as introverted on stage as she sounds on disc. Her hair in a short pony tail, she stuck with her hauntingly beautiful lo-fi songs, with a drummer and a keyboard along with her. El Perro's voice was as clear and unique in a club setting as it is on CD and she played a couple of encores, with Lykke Li helping out on one. The set was pretty much split between her first two US releases, while the encores were from The Valley to the Stars, her newest CD. I had held off buying it until the show and I was lucky enough to get El Perro to sign the new one there too. But, like Anna, her stage personae is no fake and she's as distant in person as she was on stage.

But a great night was had by all. Well, save for dropping a full beer on the floor before the start of things! But I otherwise had a grand time, especially enjoying the up close viewing I got for El Perro, as the crowd thinned out a little, possibly due to the latest of the hour, but also I think there were plenty who were there for Lykke Li. So if they come to your neck of the woods, I encourage you to check it out.

We went to see Crowded House last night at the Somerville Theater. My wife is a huge fan, me not so much. But hey, I'll go anywhere for a night out. They put on a good show, and seemed to be having fun up there. The crowd was a little laid back, at least until the encores.

It's unfortunate the cell phone pictures and videos didn't come out. A bad cell phone camera combined with the challenging atmosphere of a concert make for some pretty unusable media.

The coolest thing happened during dinner before the show. We went to an Indian restaurant in Davis Square and as the drinks came, I noticed that G wasn't paying any attention to me, preferring instead to stare at the table behind me. Turns out, two of the band members, Nick Seymour and Mark Hart (much older looking these days!), were having dinner. She couldn't get over it and I took a couple of pictures of her with them after they were done. Made for a pretty exciting evening.

Personally, I've still been playing the heck out of the Gorillaz Demon Days CD. Just can't get enough of it. I see where the Harlem film version of it is playing on MHD, I think, May 15. I think I like the mixing on that better than the CD version. A friend loaned me Guster's Lost and Gone Forever, which I enjoyed. A group formed locally, it's good jangly pop stuff.

I actually crawled out of my cave and went out to see Bess Rogers at a local dive. She was great and I really enjoyed the show. Picked up a CD and even got it signed, my third such CD (Lui Collins and Sleepy LaBeef being my previous two). Once again, big thanks to W♥M for the heads up on Ms. Rogers.

Now I'm looking forward to seeing El Perro Del Mar locally later this week. I should just grab her latest CD and give it a listen, although if I wait until the show, maybe I can get it signed!

W♥M just posted about El Perro del Mar, a Swedish singer with a cool voice, along with a couple of cuts from her upcoming album. I really liked their simplicity and wistfulness, so I naturally checked her out on AllMusic (here). There I read about the "charming animated video" for You Gotta Give To Get, so the next step was naturally to YouTube, where I found the video for it. Looks like I've found my next CD purchase! Thanks again, W♥M!