Click the photo for a slideshow of the concert. All photos by Michael Alan Goldberg. 

Feist, Grizzly Bear
June 24, 2007
Moore Theatre
 

By Michael Alan Goldberg

OK, let's get all the bad puns out of the way at the top:  She was feeling Feist-y. The show was Feist or famine. The crowd Feist the music. Whew. Now to the heart of the matter:  Feist—Canadian singer-guitarist Leslie Feist and her crackerjack four-man backing band—were, in a word, marvelous during their 80-minute set at the very packed Moore Theatre on Sunday night.

Illuminated only by a disco ball spinning high above, the quintet sailed onto the stage and launched into the dreamy "Honey Honey," from Feist's latest disc, <i>The Reminder</i>; against the backdrop of swirling lights and twinkling keyboards, the 31-year-old singer— playfully attired in a red dress, purple tights, and heels—hoisted her hollow-body guitar, strummed some nicely chewy chords, and unveiled her dulcet voice, which was in absolutely perfect form. From the outset, Feist's demeanor was calm, comfortable, and cool, addressing the audience as if they were a couple dozen friends gathered in a coffeehouse, not the 1,400-plus who whooped and cheered adoringly throughout the 16-song set.

Click here to read the full review.

Click the photo for a slideshow from the concert. All photos by Laura Musselman.
Eleni Mandell
June 23, 2007
Tractor Tavern
Better Than: Sobbing in your beer after getting dumped, even if it sometimes felt that way.

By Michael Alan Goldberg

"Thank you for coming out to the afternoon jamboree," Eleni Mandell noted by way of introduction.  Indeed, the thirtysomething L.A. songstress and her three backing musicians took the stage of the three-quarters-full Tractor Tavern a little past 6:30 p.m., as ambience-threatening light streamed in from open doors both to the right of the stage and in the back of the room.  Still, Mandell's songs were, for the most part, dark enough to more than compensate.

Click here to read the full review.

Click the photo of Rocky Votolato for a slide show of the evening. All photos by Renee McMahon.

Rocky Votolato, Night Canopy
Triple Door Mainstage
June 21, 2007

By T.J. Tranchell

Opening act Night Canopy brought a question to mind: What are Poe and P.J. Harvey doing these days? Their short set was so filled with melancholy, like the best Irish ballads, that one could wither away thinking how the world is so sad, yet so beautiful one promises never to miss another sunrise. That combination doesn't happen often (it does with Poe and Polly Jean), and trying to capture it and hold on to it is nearly impossible. Vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Amy Blaschke's voice demands those comparisons, as well as others. Emmylou Harris comes to mind. With Jennifer Jimenez singing the backup vocals in a subtle voice that perfectly complemented Blaschke's, Night Canopy is a local group worth watching.

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Click the photo for a slideshow of the concert. Photos by Chris Kornelis.

Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi
June 21, 2007
Tulalip Amphitheatre
Better Than: String Cheese Incident, Widespread Panic, and Jonny Lang

By Chris Kornelis

Wonderful, strange show.

Everything I was looking for: Tedeschi's soulful, powerful pipes taking down her favorite covers, like the Stones' "You've Got the Silver," and Trucks firmly planted with an expressionless smirk (think about it) while he builds suspense between bent notes better than anyone in the business.

Click here to read the full review.