To Be Young

Went to one of the best concerts I've ever seen on Sunday night at the Tin Angel. Adrienne Young Performed with Little Sadie (or at least part of them). It was one of those rare "authentic experience" concerts, minus the performer arrogance.

The Tin Angel is a great venue. I'd estimate there were only about 25 or 30 people in the audience, and it was full, so it put you in a very intimate space with the performer. The staff weren't super friendly. However, that may have been because I snuck in a giant cup of soup and proceeded to slurp it and crunch on my saltines with relish, despite the fact that there was a restaurant downstairs. They book a lot of great artists, though, and the musical experience is so personal that I wouldn't care if the staff members spat in my general direction - I'd still go.

I discovered Adrienne Young at the Bethlehem Music Fest this summer with my Dad, while waiting for the Moody Blues to go on. Adrienne totally trumped the Moody Blues, and that's saying a lot, because they put on a good show. She's a folk/country/singer-songwriter, but don't let that turn you off. She's the real deal. Adrienne takes the American folk music tradition to a new level.

Sunday night she was in great form. Adrienne is naturally very relaxed and good-natured, but I was amazed that she maintained her composure under the circumstances. All of the members of her band, Little Sadie, had food poisoning, and only one of them - Oliver the fiddler - was able to perform. Despite his ailment, Oliver came through, and the two of them put on a fanatastic show.

They opened with Adrienne's cover of "Free Man in Paris" and maintained a genuinely witty banter between all of the following songs. "Natural Bridge" (which some of you may recognize from XPN) and "Art of Virtue" were particularly on, but nothing was off. Oliver even played some of his own originals. His rough, natural voice, complimented Adrienne's melodic lilt well. And let me tell you, these guys can play. I could barely sit still during Oliver's fiddle solos, and Adrienne's fingers positively flew on the banjo.

After playing about half of their set, in a surprise move, Adrienne invited Oliver's parents onstage. He's from Lancaster, so half of the audience was made up of his rowdy relatives. Oliver grew up in a family where everyone is musical, so his parents hopped onstage without reservation to fill in for the missing band members. The freshness and energy of their sound may have been due in part to the fact that the four of them had never played as a group before. It was, as Adrienne said, "off the cuff." One person would call out the name of a folk song and, if the others knew it, they would play it. Amazing to be able to play that well together on the spot.

I hardly wanted the show to end, but it was almost worth it when afterwards I was able to meet Adrienne. She complimented my outfit (which, consequently, I will probably never take off), and I told her that her sound reminded me of the Scottish folk scene. She recommended a Scottish book series to me and gave me a big hug. Her down-to-earth stage persona is clearly not an act, because she wasn't intimidating in the least.

To check out Adrienne's music, go to her website - http://www.adrienneyoung.com/. She'll be playing in State College at the Sustainable Agriculture Conference on February 2nd (because she has an equally impressive conscious to go with her voice). Also, I may just be roadtripping it down to West Virginia on January 26th to see her play at the Purple Fiddle, where I hear that the fiddlers have to work extra hard to keep up with the dancers. Sounds like my kind of place.

Still Crackin'

Pennsylvannia Ballet's newly redesigned Nutracker: go see it. I know George Balanchine's The Nutcracker has developed a reputation for being cliche and trite. Balletophiles the world over cringe come holiday season when the normally reserved, elite ballet audience is inundated with out-of-towners and three-year-olds. But to all of you I say lower your high-held noses. The Nutcracker is important for two reasons. First, it brings in the majority of the campany's revenue so that for the rest of the year they can do more unusual performances, like Company B and Carnival of Animals (Tanya Barrientos, take note). Secondly, and most importantly, it's a pretty damn good ballet.

This year The Nutcracker got a makeover, and it's about time. They've been using the same costumes and sets for as long as I can remember. This new vision is gorgeous. The set is a federal style mansion, and the costumes are exquisite. Throughout the entire first act (which is a little sparse on the dancing) I kept leaning over to my Mom and whispering, "Just look at the growns!" The puffed sleaves and jewels are enough to make Scarlett O'Hara jealous. And the tree that grows to life-size is delightful. It never gets old. When I was younger I just couldn't understand how they could make it grow. Now I can, but my amazement is still unceasing at every performance. I particularly enjoyed the artistic choice to turn the set into a conservatory when the tree grew. Then when Maria and the Nutcracker Prince go into the snow scene at the end of Act One, it's as if they simply opened the door of the conservatory and walked out into the woods. Very clever. And of course, the dance of the Snowflakes was beautiful.

My favorite soloist, James Ihde, was present in the cast, looking very dapper as Dr. Stahlbaum. My Mom agrees that he's a dish. Although we had no personal encounters this time, he was clearly making eyes at me during the soldier dance. And how they smoldered.

Act Two is when the real dancing begins. I was suprised this time around that my favorite parts of the performance changed. That's why it's always worth it to see a ballet more than once - every cast makes it new. The most new aspect was the Candy Canes. The costumes were so different! They almost looked Turkish. They made the choreography seem new, too. It was much sharper and livelier than I remembered. Joaquin Crespo Lopes added lots of pizazz as the soloist, complete with rakish turbin.

Possibly the biggest suprise of the night was Brooke Moore as the Dewdrop. I can honestly say that I had never noticed her before, but last night she was amazing. Her technical prowess is obvious, but she also was full of life. It's hard to find that combination in a dancer. Usually it's passion or technique, but Moore has both. I look forward to seeing more from her.

Amy Aldridge danced the Sugarplum Fairy, and she never disappoints. I could spot her a mile away just by her stage smile, which never falters, and I can't help but find amusing. Her Cavalier was principal Sergio Torrado, another looker. He is the epitomy of the rippling-muscled Spanish artist-athlete. Aldridge and Torrado were well-paired and put together a fantastic finish. Their energy was through the roof and really brought the performance to a crescendo. There was one misstep towards the end, however. Torrado was executing a series of fouetté turns and the audience was loving it - he had them. But he got overexcited at the response and let the momentum get away from him. Set to land on one knee, he did, but then he lost his balance and tumbled a little. His recovery was quick, however, and I don't even know if everyone noticed.

Now, I have a message for you, Sergio, because I know you read my blog. Don't beat yourself up. You gave an amazing performance, and getting overexcited is hardly a flaw. If passion is the sign of an artist, than you're a star. Also, please call me.

Of course, the final piece, which combines all the dancers of the second act, is thrilling. Even though I've seen The Nutcracker many times before, I still get caught up in the magic of the second act and find myself wanting more when it's finished. If anyone else would like to go see it, I wouldn't mind attending again.

Non-Elitist Indie

No, that title is not an oxymoron. I dabble in the Indie scene myself, but God help me if I know the first names of any of the band members - let alone their last names - so I'm hardly hardcore. At the North Star Bar, however, I recently discovered an indie band that I could really get into.

They're called Holly Billaday (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=179313701), which would have taken the award for best band name if the Tupper Werewolves weren't playing the same night. My friend Leah knows one of the band members, Pete. They're all Temple students and they seem very down-to-earth. Personalities aside, though, this band is worth a listen. They combine rock with old school big band influence. I especially loved "Loaded on Sunday." It made me feel like I was in New Orleans. The brass sound absolutely makes their music. The lead singer is also charmingly awkward. He wears 80s-style shades on stage not because he's too cool for school, but because he gets stage fright. He looks like a doppelganger for Ferris Bueller. Needless to say, Holly Billaday is worth a listen. Their next show is January 10th at the Millcreek Tavern.

Also, I would like to add that the North Star Bar (http://www.northstarbar.com/) in Brewerytown is an exceptionally great place to hear local music. It's a bit of a dive, but who doesn't love dives? There aren't many places anymore where you can hear four bands for eight bucks, and no one even hastles you to buy more drinks, but this is one of them. Check out their upcoming shows on their website.

Blues, Beer, and Baroque

So I've been on sebbatical, but I'm back in the pink. Here are my recs from the past week.

My flatmate, Erin, had a great gig on Wednesday at the Mansion. She performed with the band formerly known as At Last (don't ask). I won't even pretend to be objective because I'm so proud of my Boo - move over stage moms. Still, I think anyone would admit that Erin's cover of Amy Winehouse's "I'm No Good" was a great opener, and her version of Jarabe dePalo's "La Flaca" was sung with just the right feeling. Our friend Andre, also known as Boy Wonder (again, don't ask), headlined, and as usual he brought a lot of personality to the stage. Both Erin and Andre will be singing again at World Cafe on December 23rd. I'd definitely recommend checking them out.

Later that night, in celebration, Erin and I went with some friends to the recently opened Belgian Cafe in our neighborhood. Now, I am not a beer lass, but even I enjoy the excellent libations at this joint. It has a great atmosphere - classy but still very relaxed. And may I just say that the bartenders are extremely goodlooking. And friendly. Aw-rite. One gripe is that it's a bit pricey. Again, may I recommend that you make friends with the bartenders.

Finally, I would like to put a word in for the fabulous Philadelphia Baroque group, Philomel. The parents of my friend Julietta comprise two of the group's members, so I was able to see their performance last night at Carpenter's Hall. It was amazing! To see a performance like that in such a space was a real pleasure. The music really put me in a trance, so that I felt like I was transported back in time. I particularly enjoyed Elissa Berardi's and Sandra Miller's flute duet in Lavaux's Sonata Sesta in G major, but the real coups of the evening was the concluding piece. Bruce Bekker explained before the song that it was a piece of religious music played in the French court during Christmas time. We all expected something quiet somber or at least pious, but instead were met with a Middle Eastern medley. It was supposed to represent the shepherds at the manger scene, and boy did they seem like some riotous guys. I thought it was very clever to end the evening with such an unexpected piece.

I'm in the throws of finals this week, but I will not stay away again for long. There definitely will be plenty to write up over the holiday season. I'm particularly looking forward to the newly choreographed (it's about time) Nutcracker this weekend. Perhaps my own dear friend soloist James (wouldn't you say we're friends after our last encounter?) will grace us with his presence once again. One can only hope.