Bone And Bell

I saw her once it seems last year or longer and missed the rest of her shows after that until finally again at Quenchers Saturday 3 March. There is something sweet yet painful about the slight haunt of "Flying, Falling, Crawling" that draws me. The cathartic kick the exploration provides also leaves room for that underdog possibility. Ever since seeing Bone And Bell that one time I always looked for that elusive next time. I don't get enough out of seeing them once. To see them multiple times ensures their existence and enshrines them in my eyes. Music is the type of culture that is always evolving from one performance to the next. I say that a lot, sorry. It's a given, yes? And so I go see B&B go from sweet/pained to muscular and bluesy. Left the ukulele at home, and brought instead a full crew of musicians. So what did Ms Heather play if not the uke? Heather plays guitar and keyboard, did some of her old songs....."old". When I say old I mean from her EP L*O*O*M which can be downloaded for free.

I read the press kit on the website. Skimming through you catch what makes you read with greater intensity. When you put Neko Case and Twin Peaks in the same sentence in describing how an artist sounds I will listen. Hell, they had me when they mentioned Sharon Van Etten. Her music is known to be sad/sweet. On this live set Bone And Bell explored it's hardened bluesy shadow to a full Quencher crowd. Most of the set was new. Even the older songs were fleshed out with more instruments,...drums, guitar, bass. The strength behind the sweet and the weird is what B&B displayed. So that Twin Peaks reference is spot on. It came to me as a total surprise because I went for the old set, the sweet/sad yet weird and cool like Julee Cruise. You know Amy Mann took up boxing, and I think....just follow...it helps her confidence while performing and metaphorically this is the direction B&B with it's live songs. Hell she named a song "Rage" and it's massive. Imagine what Man Is Man is naturally and this is part of the turf visited on this live gig. Whales and Minutes played later but Heather amassed a massive audience. The set Caspian Sea

I am a lion

Sweet Queen Regina

Sisyphus' Fist

The Lights

Tiny Hands

4 Horses

Countin Pennies

Of wire Of words

Rage

Words Left Unspoken

It's exactly the side you want from an artist that drifts you towards the sad with that wonder for it's haunting. The leather wearing dark side. The side that learns to box.

Zig