Live: Mirah and The Blow 1/23

Great American Music Hall in San Francisco has a way of making not-so-legendary artists appear larger than life. It's a quality that it shares with its big sister, The Fillmore. Case in point: the K Records extravaganza that was Mirah and The Blow. Both women had stellar performances, rock star-like even. A pretty good showing for two minimalist artists on THE minimalist label. It's this cycling irony that makes both artists worth paying attention to, the notion of normal person as rock star as normal person.





Opener Cryptocize were impressive not for any Rolling Stones apery (hell, not even Hold Steady apery), but for their insanely twee aesthetic and cheap instruments tied by a strong sense of melody, breakneck stops and starts, and obvious chemistry. Both guitars were funnelled through $100 5 Watt Vox amps and the drummer was without a snare, only a tambourine. The thought of an entire record label, nay genre, of bands this shoestring is enthralling.





Khaela Maricich slash The Blow next took the stage, weaving mostly cuts from Paper Television into an often laugh-out-loud narrative about the universe, boys, girls, drugs, and boys again. Her banter covered her songwriting process, at least allegorically, and her creative debt to former collaborator Jona Bechtolt (who's now making MacBook cases?), Mirah, and James Taylor. All in white, sporting some of the best robot dance moves I've ever seen, her voice lost a great deal of intensity at the set went on. Near the end, it would have seemed wise to cut back on the story-telling to preserve her voice, but she closed the set with gusto. Never underestimate the power of a woman and a drum machine.



For the first time all night, more than three musicians were on stage for Mirah's set. It was well, given that many of her songs come across as dirges live, rather than the warm studio versions she cultivates. The melodic heft of a full band was a welcome departure from the rest of the night, especially her drummer, who was especially excellent at moving ever the slower songs around. The set list drew heavily from newer material, including an upcoming collaborative concept album about insects (for serious). The less familiar songs fit in well with the classic cuts, including an early take on fan favourite "Jerusalem". An excellent night for the international pop underground.

-RJR