Goodbye Old Paint

Bat for Lashes @ The El Rey 6/16/09

Photo by eudaemonia (she has other great ones too)

The decidedly magical Bat for Lashes played such a sold-out show at the El Rey on the 16th that my friend who came along to try and buy a ticket from a scalper was totally snubbed.  The only people hanging around out front were trying to score tickets just like her.  I was lucky enough to have bought my ticket awhile before, and ended up standing with a friend of a friend right up front for the show, in what was basically the perfect spot. 

Hecuba was the opening act and they were a very sparse electro duo, the female singer dressed in a full spandex bodysuit with a diamond pattern.  The male multi-instrumentalist got up and sang at least once, and there was one song that caught my attention (maybe “Humanize”), but I spent most of their set texting my friend and hoping against hope that she could still get in, so I honestly didn’t give them enough attention.

Then they were done and we were stuck staring at a red curtain with a KCRW spotlight in the center for what felt like an eternity.  It was worth it though, when the curtains pulled back and we were treated to a dark and spooky stage, decorated with Christmas lights, two dolls on a chair bathed in ghostly light, electric candles and even an antique-looking lamp in one corner.  It was like peeking into a little girl’s secret hiding place in the attic, and then Natasha Khan stepped out in a glittery leotard with black tights and a shy smile for the loud cheers that broke out.  She crouched on the stage floor and immediately launched into the whispery beginning of one of my favorites, “Glass”, and I just grinned from ear to ear.

The music is so atmospheric and consuming that it was a thrill to see it performed live.  The arrangements were just as elaborate live, with Charlotte Hatherley (formerly of Ash) and Sarah Jones on bass and drums, respectively, who both also sang perfect backup harmonies, and Ben Christophers who played many different instruments, including a small organ and an autoharp.  There were strings of bells that both Hatherley and Khan swung slowly around their heads, and the Christmas lights and colored electric candles flashed to the rhythm of one song (maybe “Two Planets”?  don’t recall) in a way that was mesmerizing.

They played my older favorite “The Wizard” early on as well, a song that has been an additional muse for the mood of my novel, along with Kate Bush.  It sounded wonderful live, with Khan playing the shaker and slinking around the mic stand with a charismatic confidence.  She moved very elegantly onstage, even breaking into a little slide from the piano over to the mic, which prompted a yell from the crowd, “You’re gorgeous!”  The air was so still in between the songs, or at quiet moments, that any talking in the crowd was very audible, so it was a good thing most of us were spellbound.  There was one funny moment as Khan settled down at the piano, when a girl said sharply to someone near her, “Shut up, seriously!”  Everyone in the front half of the crowd burst out laughing, and even Khan laughed onstage.

There was a low-fi version of “Daniel” on the piano with Christophers on the autoharp, I believe (?), that turned out to be a teaser for the full version, which was part of an extended encore at the end.  There was an interesting version of “Prescilla” from Fur and Gold played by Khan all alone on the autoharp, as another part of the encore.  The more upbeat numbers from Two Suns were prefaced with the announcement of “Now we get to dance” from Khan: “Pearl’s Dream” and “Two Planets”, which did get everyone moving.  Khan actually picked up an electric guitar for “Peace of Mind”, which is my least favorite on the album, since I find it a bit listless and draggy, but it sounded more spirited live.  “Good Love” was epic-sounding, and “Horse and I”, another old favorite from Fur and Gold, was very satisfying.  I’m intrigued by the lyrics in that one; Khan’s imagery can be a little goofy sometimes in its mysticism, but other times the lyrics are fascinatingly visual and “Horse and I” seems like the narrative to an exciting fantasy film.

If anything, Khan’s voice is lovelier live than on the album; she reaches her high notes effortlessly, on air, and every word is clear and ringing.  I was very impressed with the other members of the band, whose skills reminded me of St. Vincent’s crew at the Echoplex a year ago.  This was without a doubt my favorite concert of 2009 so far.   I was glad to have made it in.

pawpaw

My grandfather (PawPaw, as we called him) passed away last weekend. I loved him very much. This is me and him in 2000 when I had short, dyed red hair, and he and my grandmother at LAX in 96 or 97. I can’t find more recent ones at the moment, but he didn’t change much except to get a lot thinner in the past few years. He never failed to make me feel like I was doing well, like I was a grandkid he was proud of; he told me once when I was singing that my voice “rang like a bell”. He was kind and funny; he loved kids; he always drove too fast and got fussed at by my MawMaw (“Now Johnny, we’re not in a hurry”); he was always waiting around impatiently to leave while she hunted for her keys. He loved music, and I remember him singing “Down On the Bayou” and “The Band Played On” when I was a kid, as well as telling me a watermelon plant would grow out of my stomach if I swallowed a watermelon seed. I also remember him getting a splinter out of my hand out by their swimming pool, and telling me I was “almost as beautiful as my MawMaw”. He usually winked when he smiled. The last time I saw him, I think we had a minor argument about Israel and Palestine. The last time we talked on the phone, he asked how things were with “that boyfriend” and was very enthusiastic about my novel. He sounded good, and happy. I miss him.