Laura Meyer....!!!

When I see these things ahead of time, and plan to see them, I still don't feel fully prepared for how much I will like them. The time of discovery is just a snap shot of something that I like but can afford to miss. The frugal voice tells you to deny yourself for some bullshit higher purpose. It's a different voice that urges me to see performers like Laura Meyer. The smallness of a great artist performing in a restaurant style venue. Uncommon Ground is a nice little restaurant with a stage. Well, a space that can be set aside for a stage is what they got. What UG did not have that Friday 3 December was an audience that gave a shit. People seemed to be just interested in their own affairs, like eating. If they paid attention to her, it was to get her to play some bullshit cover. I left that night a fan of Laura Meyer so I'm not going to blame her. Uncommon Ground seemed more a restaurant than music venue. It's not on them either. Hell, they at least had her performing. So I had to listen to her through a filter of voices that shared the same space but not the same experience. It did feel as if I was the only one that went to see her. Most of the video I took I had to delete because of all the people talking over her. That's OK too. There are a number of youtube videos with her as well. So I took pictures. OK, so good venue, good singer, bad, indifferent audience. I'm really amazed that it did not in the end influence my decision to buy her CDs. So that made me listen to Laura a little more and I bought the two CDs. I listened to "Been Here Before" on the way back and pow! I met Laura Meyer! I saw her play at Uncommon Ground! I drove home in complete disbelief. Some of these songs she played on stage, I recognized them, but I had to listen to them through what seemed to me an indifferent crowd.

She strikes me as a bluesy, Aimee Mann. An intelligent, thoughtful songwriter with a flexible blues impulse. And an excellent guitarist. That's Laura. I say blues but not like say The Pack A. D. It's not abrasive like them, and they seem to just have like two speeds. I can't see them slowing down like LM. Having said that I like The Pack A.D. They are about strength in the outer shell, which is awesome. I hear them and I feel the coolness of Patrick Swayze driving a truck in that movie he was in Black Dog? Yes? Well, Laura does cool introspective blues, most of the time, strengthening the inner self. You just picture yourself in that slow motion cool swagger that you see on TV when you hear these songs.