Muchness and Light

SXSW - Day 4

Day 4 in Austin came way the hell too early, as usual, but I dragged my ass toward a shower and breakfast before catching my shuttle back downtown.  I hit one panel on licensing, a Day Stage set by the Big Pink, and then decided, "Screw it!  It's St. Patrick's Day!"

By noon, 6^th Street was painted with all shades of green.  I'm a good Irish girl and made a point to find a good Kelly green tank top to brighten my day.  I wandered for a while, listening and watching, and was surprised to realize I was ravenous.  Chupacabra Cantina it was for some great Tex-Mex tacos.  And some Jack.  The hot bartender bought me a second round.  Turns out he used to play hockey for the former Atlanta Thrashers' feeder team, and his ex-wife used to babysit for Ed Kowalczyk, former LIVE frontman.  (More on that later.)

Jack and Ginger and I danced our way down 6^th, and we were immediately drawn to this voice coming from inside Friends.  It was sand-in-your-ass-crack gritty and awesome.  Turns out it belonged to Austin blues singer Rachael Crawford, and it was totally worth the chafing.  She did the best version of "Folsom Prison Blues" I've heard since the original. 

But Jack and Ginger and I had big plans for the evening.  After four good dances, we decided to shuttle our way back to the hotel for a shower and a quick nap.  Candlebox was doing a short acoustic set at the Bayou Lounge at 7 p.m.  I watched them do "Cover Me" and "Far Behind" then walked with Kevin and Sean over to Antone's for the Microsoft Big App on Campus party, hosted by the Gracious Few.

I was in the door quickly, at the front of the stage where Chad Taylor normally stomps.  The Canvas Waiting opened, their set including a fabulous cover of New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle", which holds a very special place in my heart.  I totally approved. 

Then my groupie love, the Gracious Few, took to the stage.  I hadn't seen them since May and was thrilled that they opened with "Silly Thing".  It's my song.  I loved it long before my path intertwined with theirs, and it's one of those songs that can sweep me away to a deeply, personally happy place, every single time I hear it.  TGF holds the spot for two of my top-five favorite songs (the other being "Labor of Love"), so it made me stupidly happy to start the night with it.  (No, Kevin, I don't blame you for not singing it with me this time.  For so many reasons.)  They were good.  They were my band.  And I was overjoyed to feel that pulsing rhythm that has been the soundtrack to so many miles of the most recent part of my journey. 

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 Blahblahblahblah from Microsoft.  Then came LIVE.

 

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 So, the boys from LIVE had been on a hiatus for nearly three years, mutually cutting ties with Ed Kowalczyk.  This was their first public show with their new lead singer, Chris Shinn.  They'd played a private event in York, PA, on Monday night.  I was supposed to have been at that show but had a last-minute family emergency that prevented me from going.  I was heartbroken at having missed such a special event in the life of the band I've loved for nearly twenty years, but it was unavoidable.

Chris had previously been with Unified Theory.  He also released a self-titled solo record in January that I really love.  It's a grown-up album and wasn't at all what I expected when DH gifted it to me during surgery recovery.  But I was concerned that Chris was too first tenor for the LIVE catalog.  (Later in his career, Ed's voice settled more toward his falsetto, but there are certain songs that even my natural contralto can't quite reach, when I have to pop up an octave to maintain the melody.) 

The guys came out to the first strains of "The Dam at Otter Creek", which was the song to open the best LIVE shows I've ever seen.  The whole set list was good—though I was very surprised to see "Freaks" on it.  There was nothing from Mental Jewelry, which was a little disappointing, but there was also nothing from V or Birds of Pray or the wretched Songs from Ed's Big Head Black Mountain.  It was fantastic to see Chad Taylor stomping and playing Ruby Lou.  Chad Gracey was out from behind the Plexi panel and pounded the fuck out of his drums.  I saw Patrick Dahlheimer smiling more on stage than I can remember having seen in years.  Sean Hennesy was kind enough to play the part of Adam Kowalczyk for the evening, even though that meant he had three straight sets with three different bands.

Chris seemed visibly nervous, and who can blame him?  The LIVE fans are rabidly split about whether or not they can support "their" band without Ed.  I wondered about it two years ago, too.  But this is totally up to Chad and Chad and Patrick, and I was more than willing to give a chance to any singer with the balls to step into that groupie firestorm.  Does he sound just like Ed?  No.  But there's a similarity there that lends his voice to the old songs.  Having been to dozens of LIVE shows over the years, I couldn't help but see the shaven ghost of Ed stepping across the stage, passing through and around Chris as he did his own thing.  But he did his own thing, and it was good.  I am looking forward to seeing where these guys go now that they're really opening a new chapter of their career. 

More Microsoft blahblahblah.

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Strangely, it was my first Candlebox show.  I was never a huge Cbox fan (Kevin, you were right—I always loved LIVE more.), but it was interesting to see how different he is on stage from one band to the next.  You don't notice it as much with guitarists, who can hide behind their instruments, but there was a different onstage persona that came out of him for each band.  My heart is still with TGF, but I knew enough Cbox to sing along and have him put his mic in my face, like he always has.  Okay, yeah, so it was "Far Behind", but I have my strangely personal reasons for liking that song, just like everyone else does.  (Well, except that I didn't get laid to it.)

After the show, though, was my favorite part.  Walking past the bar, I heard, "Stephanie!"  I turned to see Chad Taylor standing there, who I hadn't seen since May.  Big hugs and laughter.  "Gracey said to me, 'I think that skinny girl is Stephanie,' and I said, 'No way!'  Oh my God!  Look at you!  You were right in front of me for the entire Gracious Few set, and it wasn't until I came out with LIVE that I realized it was you!"  He promptly took me by the hand and twirled me around to see the difference that even the last forty-five pounds (and a new belly button) had made.  I knew I must be doing something right if even the rock stars can see the difference. 

I was exhausted, having stood and danced in the same spot for five hours.  Two of my very favorite songs were played that night ("I Alone" is on that list, too.  Strangely, Chad and Chad and Patrick, you have four of my five favorites.) , and it was exhilarating to be swept up in the music and the moments I love the most. 

I bravely stomped around Austin in my Big Girl panties and my persona non grata t-shirt, on my own for five days, and I loved every second of it.  Even my nervousness and being in a strange city, on my own, served only to invigorate me, and I splashed my muchness all over that fucking town—in my own way, sparkled with purple, just like I always do.

Show Reviews: Magick City Sirens - E C Puffin's Haunted Burlesque - Jackson, MS - 10/29/2011

I traveled to Jackson, Mississippi to see the Magick City Sirens for their first show ever in that lovely Southern state.  I wasn't sure Jackson knew what was in store for them, but E C Puffin Entertainment (the promoter for the show) had done their job in getting the word out about the Sirens.  E C Puffin's Haunted Burlesque packed the Auditorium at historic Duling Hall, and some eager fans were there ahead of the Sirens' arrival.  Jackson was breathless with antici... pation.

I spent some time backstage with the lovely ladies before the show.  That's often my favorite time with them, watching the process of getting ready for their performances.  They always look so stupendously spectacular when they hit the crowd, but there's a hell of a lot of work that goes into that.  Jezabelle von Jane, troupe founder and Big Mama, is exacting of her girls.  A lot of time is spent having them change and perfect their make-up and costumes before they ever step out of the dressing room.  She is tough and meticulous, which is part of the reason she's been named Burlesque Performer of the Year three times.  She's brash and bawdy and at times intimidating—and unbelievably caring and sweet.  (Really, I want to be her when I grow up.)

I took my front and center seat moments before the house lights dimmed.  The troupe's newest Siren and Barker Extraordinaire, Frankie Bluu, did an amazing job of riling that already excited crowd into frenzy.  Jackson was ready for the Magick City Sirens.

The set list included 18 vignettes, 6 of which I'd seen before.  The first piece, "The Mummy", featured Ariiel Blaze, an adorable redhead who can woo a crowd with her cuteness and then sneak her singing and dancing on them until they fall in love.  Ariiel sashayed onto the stage from a sarcophagus, wearing an Egyptian burial mask and wrapped in linen strips.  She slowly peeled down to do a belly dance that was just fantastic.  Ariiel blew the crowd away again later with Journey's "Lovin', "Touchin', Squeezin'", plus she joined Tawny Rex and Abigail Lee for a group performance of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep".  Blaze is featured prominently in several of the vignettes and with good reason: she's energetic and charismatic and a damn fine performer. 

Tawny Rex, the delicious African American Siren, joined Big Mama for a new set, done to "Secret" by the Pierces.  Tawny poisons Jezabelle to keep her from telling her secret, then prances around the stage coyly until her rival gets her own revenge.  Later in the show, Tawny Rex did a her own danse sauvage in tribute to Josephine Baker, the black actress, singer, and dancer best known for her erotic stage shows in early 20^th century Paris.  Tawny's banana dance set to "Don't Touch My Tomatoes" was funny, though I almost got nailed by a plastic apple at one point.  She came back moments later to belt out Duffy's "Mercy".  Tawny Rex has got some pipes!  Her best performance of the evening may have been her shadow show, done to "Mad House" by Rihanna.  A screen and strobe lights and Tawny's curvy shadow opened the second act of the evening, and it was great.

The bombshell blonde of the troupe, Abigail Lee, started her evening with "My Heart Belongs to Daddy". 
I've seen her do this number multiple times before, but it's always fun.  She ends the piece in an inflatable pool and pasties, giving herself a naughty little sponge bath.  Her seductive eyes and innocent smile work well in this number, though they may have been better when she performed a sexy chair dance to Jace Everett's "Bad Things", the theme from HBO's True Blood.  There wasn't a man—and not a few women—in that crowd who would let Abigail Lee do any bad thing she wanted, as long as she was wearing nothing but those Daisy Dukes and pasties.  It was hot.  Seriously.  Abigail was also in the vocal spotlight for a beautiful rendition of the torch song classic "At Last". 

Tawny and Abigail joined Jinx the Graceful for a sexy, girl-in-uniform (think sequined USO) dance to "Candyman".  They topped it off with a trip around the crowd, offering Blow Pops for a buck.  (Yes, I got mine, straight from Jinx's mouth!)  Tatiana Heire showed off her own curvaceous shimmies to "Dance: Ten, Looks: Three", the tits and ass song.  A minor costume malfunction kept the crowd from seeing much of either, but it's always fun to see Tat doing her fearless thing on stage.

Jezabelle von Jane, however, was undeniably the highlight of the evening.  First of all, she's a stunner.  She's a total Glamazon.  When she comes out to work the crowd with Frankie Bluu, there's absolutely no ignoring the woman.  She's in-your-face ballsy and loud, and it works well as part of the show.  There are hints of that even when she's on stage, like during the all-Sirens-on-deck "Be Italian"—always a fan favorite. 

This night, however, she did her first solo show in a while, a black wax candle vignette that opened with a fan dance.  Jezabelle is simply mesmerizing on stage.  That dance, in which she pours hot black wax on across her scantily-clad body, is sexy and scintillating, but I could see a subtle vulnerability in Jezabelle during the piece.  The song ended, but there were still candles burning, and I could've watched her do that all night. 

I really didn't think they could top all that I had seen, but they surprised me with their version of "Thriller".  It was a Halloween show, after all, so I knew we'd probably see some sexy zombies or something before the night was up.  No one in the audience was prepared for what we saw, though. 

It started with Jezabelle von Jane in black leather pants and a red leather corset, à la Michael Jackson from the 1983 video.  The rest of the Sirens were in their own sexy mummy wear, dancing around the enthralling Big Mama.  The set was energetic, as expected, but the crowd was eerily quiet—stunned by the unexpected spectacle.  It really was like nothing I'd ever seen with this song, and the crowd roared to thunderous applause when Jezabelle shifted into an iconic red-and-black leather jacket, dancing her gorgeous heart out. 

They ended the show with the bawdiest of their numbers, all Sirens on stage, to "Shave 'em Dry".  Words simply cannot express how awesome this number is.  No one's naked, no one's peeling, but it is balls-to-the-walls fun and lewd and simply fantastic.  It was a great way to close the show, and the Magick City Sirens know it. 

I've seen the Sirens many times, and I will continue to do so.  They try to incorporate new songs into every show, letting each performer shine in her own glittery light.  Even when it's a piece I've seen before, I'm always blown away by how much these ladies give to their performances, whether together or by themselves.  They are obviously a troupe; they are an intimate sisterhood of lascivious fun who will support each other on stage and off, no matter what—and that translates beautifully for each and every show. 

Brava, Sirens!  Brava!

 

Show Review - Magick City Sirens - 8/12/2011

I arrived at Speakeasy in Birmingham on Friday night, August 12^th, around 10 p.m.  Speakeasy was one of the many local venues playing host to the Birmingham Arts and Music Festival.  I'd come to see Magick City Sirens, the Birmingham-based burlesque troupe, but made it just in time to catch the Ian Sturrock Memorial Pipe Band, who ushered in local faves Jasper Coal.  The tiny venue was packed, and nearly everyone had their pint in the air for an almost-punk, pipe and drum rendition of "Amazing Grace". 

The Sirens arrived around 10:30 in full pre-show accoutrement, each of the ladies bubbling equally with charm and cleavage.  They weren't scheduled to take the stage until 1:15 in the morning, and I was a little concerned about how many people would still be in attendance at the late hour.  Many people left between Jasper Coal and The Stop (a talented jazz/funk trio, who were unfortunately called "the porn music band" several times that night), and it might have been just me and the Sirens—which would've been totally okay.  But a crowd of about 300 poured back in just before showtime, and they were treated to a spectacularly fun little treat.

The Sirens had a new apprentice, Frankie Bluu, who was working as the barker for the evening.  She did a great job of getting the crowd frenzied in preparation for the show.  She was a natural in front of that group of equally-beguiled men and women, and I was surprised to learn it was her first time out. 

Due to limitations of the sound system, the nature of BAAMfest!, and the timing of the show, the Sirens didn't actually sing for this shorter-than-normal set.  Although the troupe doesn't normally repeat songs from show to show, I'd seen each of the evening's numbers before, though none was a disappointment. 

Abigail Lee, opened the show with a peel (it's not stripping, it's burlesque!) set to "My Heart Belongs to Daddy".  The beautiful blonde looked sweet and innocent as stripped down from her cute blue apron to her pasties and sponged off in an inflatable kiddie pool.  The fun irony had the crowd cheering and ready for the cutie-pie comedy of Ariiel Blaze's "Beyond the Sea", a beach-themed peel that included toy crabs and a confetti-rain-filled parasol.  The adorable red-head had everyone ready to set sail in search of a bathing beauty of their own. 

Tawny Rex pranced down to her bare minimums to "But I Am a Good Girl", her lovely dark skin contrasted against her white satin corset.  "Dance: Ten, Looks: Three" was heralded by the most voluptuous of the Sirens, Tatiana Heire.  "Tits and ass can change your life/they sure changed mine," delivered by the classically-trained, voluptuous lady in purple was lively and tongue-in-cheek.  (Which takes on a whole new meaning in such a bawdy setting!)

The troupe's final number brought Abigail Lee, Tawny Rex, and Ariiel Blaze back to the stage for "Be Italian", joined by Jinx the Graceful and the incomparable Jezabelle von Jane, who founded Magick City Sirens in 2007.  Jezabelle gave the crowd her all without ever losing a stitch, her dark hair and smoldering "come hither" engaging every single eye in the place.  Days later I learned she was so into her groove that she gave herself bruises, banging her thighs with her tambourine. 

As usual, Magick City Sirens gave a grand performance, doing an amazing job of engaging and enticing the crowd from the moment they stepped into the venue.  You can catch them again on September 10^th at the Barking Kudu in Birmingham, as part of Beer, Bands & Bullies.  Tickets are $15 at the door, with all proceeds going to Bama Bully Rescue.