I'm Back Again
I don't know why I do this to myself. I start out with the best intentions, but somewhere along the line I get sidetracked with life and living, and things like this blog, just get left by the wayside.
Anyway, I'm alive and well, and in America as I write this. So much has happened since my last entry, that I don't know how or when I'm going to be able to keep this blog up-to-date, but while I'm here, now, let me at least tell you about last night.
Iris DeMent in Lake Placid
Right now I am writing this from Lake Placid in upstate New York, in the Adirondack mountains. Yesterday I woke up to light SNOW falling from the sky. Unfortunately, it has already melted away, although the high peaks have still got snow on them. I came here to see one of my favourite American female singer-songwriters, Iris DeMent, who performed at the Lake Placid Center For The Arts last night.
I've written about Iris DeMent before on this blog.
Iris DeMent was great, although the experience of seeing her for the first time was not as wonderful as I’d hoped. The problem was not with her, but with the quality of the sound. Iris has a high pitched voice, and I thought the mixing made her voice sound way too harsh. If I hadn’t been familiar with her voice and songs, I think I would have been even more disappointed.
She started with a thirty minute set on piano, which took me completely by surprised, although it shouldn’t have, since there is quite a lot of piano on her albums. I just don’t think I had made the connection that she was the pianist. I’d assumed she was a guitarist, and that someone else was playing piano. She is an excellent piano player, by the way.
It was interesting to observe her act, from the point of view of showmanship and stage presence. She is not tall, slightly overweight, and no-one would ever call her a flashy dresser. She is very shy and reserved on stage. Her introductions are spare, with little attempts at humor – mostly at her own expense. She makes very little attempt to lighten the mood of her songs. They are what they are – pure, heartfelt, intensely personal, and full of insight and meaning. However, if you are looking for a fun filled good time, with lots of light fluffy songs, Iris DeMent is not the performer you want to see.
She moved from piano to do another 30 minutes or so on guitar, before moving back to the piano to finish her concert. Of course, she was called back for an encore of two songs. She finished with the intensely personal and beautiful My Life, on piano, and received a well deserved standing ovation as she left the stage.
I bought a copy of her ‘gospel’ CD, Lifeline, and left for the long walk back to the hotel, grateful that I had at least had this opportunity to see her once.
By the way, there are more and more Iris DeMent videos turning up on YouTube. It was while looking through these today, that I see she also made an appearance in the movie Songcatcher singing Pretty Saro. her performance was also included on the trailer for the film.
Anyway, I'm alive and well, and in America as I write this. So much has happened since my last entry, that I don't know how or when I'm going to be able to keep this blog up-to-date, but while I'm here, now, let me at least tell you about last night.
Iris DeMent in Lake Placid
Right now I am writing this from Lake Placid in upstate New York, in the Adirondack mountains. Yesterday I woke up to light SNOW falling from the sky. Unfortunately, it has already melted away, although the high peaks have still got snow on them. I came here to see one of my favourite American female singer-songwriters, Iris DeMent, who performed at the Lake Placid Center For The Arts last night.
I've written about Iris DeMent before on this blog.
Iris DeMent was great, although the experience of seeing her for the first time was not as wonderful as I’d hoped. The problem was not with her, but with the quality of the sound. Iris has a high pitched voice, and I thought the mixing made her voice sound way too harsh. If I hadn’t been familiar with her voice and songs, I think I would have been even more disappointed.
She started with a thirty minute set on piano, which took me completely by surprised, although it shouldn’t have, since there is quite a lot of piano on her albums. I just don’t think I had made the connection that she was the pianist. I’d assumed she was a guitarist, and that someone else was playing piano. She is an excellent piano player, by the way.
It was interesting to observe her act, from the point of view of showmanship and stage presence. She is not tall, slightly overweight, and no-one would ever call her a flashy dresser. She is very shy and reserved on stage. Her introductions are spare, with little attempts at humor – mostly at her own expense. She makes very little attempt to lighten the mood of her songs. They are what they are – pure, heartfelt, intensely personal, and full of insight and meaning. However, if you are looking for a fun filled good time, with lots of light fluffy songs, Iris DeMent is not the performer you want to see.
She moved from piano to do another 30 minutes or so on guitar, before moving back to the piano to finish her concert. Of course, she was called back for an encore of two songs. She finished with the intensely personal and beautiful My Life, on piano, and received a well deserved standing ovation as she left the stage.
I bought a copy of her ‘gospel’ CD, Lifeline, and left for the long walk back to the hotel, grateful that I had at least had this opportunity to see her once.
By the way, there are more and more Iris DeMent videos turning up on YouTube. It was while looking through these today, that I see she also made an appearance in the movie Songcatcher singing Pretty Saro. her performance was also included on the trailer for the film.
posted by Jim Lesses at
2:18 AM
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