Monthly Archive for September, 2006

Cary Hudson and Shannon McNally at Bend Studio.

For my listening pleasure, the second show I ventured out to see this weekend was Cary Hudson and Shannon McNally at Bend Studio’s listening room. I almost hate to admit it, but this was another show that I didn’t know what to expect until the first cord was struck. I didn’t get a chance to listen to any of Cary’s music before the show, and Shannon doesn’t have any of her music on her myspace currently. Sometimes the best shows happen when you don’t know what to expect; thus was the case on this night.

The show opened with Cary Hudson. If I were given the task of summing up Cary’s Music in just a word, I am confidant that I could do so. It’s a long word, and word that is fun to spell really fast. That word is: Mississippi. I would classify Cary’s sound as south eastern folk, with a strong lyrical and emotional connection to the great state of Mississippi. If you ever want to learn about the great people and cuisine of Mississippi, Cary can enlighten you.

Cary sang very well and was very comfortable being on stage. The music I would say was generally of a light hearted nature (read funny). Style was a great mix of different tempos with power levels ranging from slow and easy to feet stomping, harmonica whaling jams that had the whole crowd keeping the beat with at least one extremity. He previewed Shannon’s voice to the audience when he asked her to come and sing with him for a song. With that preview of Miss Shannon, I knew that the 2nd half of the show was going to be at least equally as impressive as the first. I really enjoyed Cary’s performance and I am confidant that the rest of the crowd did as well. In fact, that was the first opening performance at Bend that I have seen who got a standing ovation followed by an encore. In fact, I think that’s the only time I’ve ever seen that.

Next came Shannon McNally. I know this might not exactly follow with the general guidelines or template of a music review, but I have to comment on the fact that the first thing I noticed when Shannon took the stage, was the fact that she had on the coolest belt buckle that I’ve ever seen. I don’t think I’ve ever noticed a belt buckle before….so I thought it might be worth talking about. 

The quality of Shannon’s voice is hard to describe. I think soulful would be a good term that does a good pretty good job at capturing something that can be so difficult to describe with only words. She played in typical Bend style with just her voice and guitar for the majority of her set. I was very impressed when she laid the guitar down and sang A cappella for a few moments. What a great way to see someone’s true talent. When they not only stand in front of you and play their music alone with only their guitar, without a bunch of other instruments to mix with their voice, but to then drop the one instrument you have and stand alone. Naked is the word that comes to mind. She sang alone, with only the microphone (which she didn’t need! Her voice is more than powerful enough to fill a larger room) and did an amazing job. Very impressive.

I would say her sound is also a southern/south eastern folk. She hails from New Orleans, and you can defiantly feel that musical spirit in her voice. Her voice reminds me of someone, but as usual I can’t quite place it. Like Cary, she was also very conversational and comfortable up on the little stage. Her smile, and the fact that she sings with her eyes open made my job of taking pictures pretty easy. Chalk that one up to another great evening of music at Bend Studio. I went in not knowing what to expect, and left well entertained and impressed. You can listen to their music by following the links below (Shannon as some music on her non-mypace page). If either of these artists find themselves in your neck of the woods, make sure you lend them your ear.

Cary Hudson
Shannon McNally
Bend Studio

Emily Elbert and Becky Middelton at Standard an Pours.

My plan this weekend is to go see and shoot three shows, starting with Emily Elbert and Becky Middleton at Standard and Pours. A 2mph bike wipe out might keep me from seeing all three shows….but that’s another blog post altogether. I hear some girls dig guys with knees that are as big as softballs…..

Pascal told me months ago that I needed to make sure and check out this 17 year old wonder girl who was becoming a local favorite at her place. I checked out her Myspace and was very impressed and made sure to take Pascal’s recommendation and I went to see her play last night.

So what is there to know about Miss Emily? First of all she is already kicking ass at 17 years old. Her voice is very developed and refined, and her guitar playing is more than good enough to keep up with her vocals. She will soon be attending the Berkley School of Music where I’m sure she will take the skills and talents she has and hone them to a fine edge. However….I am afraid that recently Emily must have done something bad. She might have kicked a bunny, cheated on a test, or even have failed to recognize Texas Tech as the cooooolest University in the known universe. I’m not exactly sure what it was, but it had to be pretty bad because her house got struck by lightning lat week! Apparently it was bad enough that they can’t live there until after Christmas. Poor Emily’s family (Poor Bunny! : ) ).

Back to the task at hand Zach. You are rambling. Off on a tangent. Getting off course and off of the beaten path. Getting into uncharted territory…..

The show was very entertaining. Most of the show was just Emily with her voice and her guitar sitting cross-legged in her stool. She played a few songs with a friend of hers from school in the middle of her set. Emily’s voice is very mellow with a jazzy feel to it. I would love hear what she can do with her voice with a few well placed horns behind her. It really surprised me how genuinely surprised and grateful she seemed to be when people would clap after a song, or even cheer because the next song she announced was a song they knew. She is not yet the experianced (jaded?) artist that just expects or doesn’t even notice such antics from the crowd. I could try to describe her music, but it might be more effecient to check out her myspace. She has four good songs on her page if you would like to get a feel for her style and for her sound. You can also buy her whole album for $10 (or .99 per song) on iTunes. I haven’t figured out how to create an iTunes link yet, but she’s easy to find if you search her name. Overall I was very impressed with her show, and would defiantly recommend her to anyone who enjoys good mellow live music. I have a feeling we will be seeing more of Miss Emily.

Becky Middleton played immediately following Emily. I am sad to say that I was only able to stay for a few songs, but I’d still like to write a few words for her. Becky sat down to play the biggest damn keyboard I have ever seen in my life. This thing had to be as big as a twin bed, and was defiantly bigger than she was! She sat down and played that keyboard and sang her songs. When I say she sang…. I mean she really sang! That girl has some pipes! She has one of those voices that just hit you, and you can’t help but be amazed that so much voice is coming out of such a small person. The four or five songs that I got to here were well played and I enjoyed them. I hate that I couldn’t stay, but maybe I’ll be able to catch another show around town. She also has several of her songs on her myspace. All in all it was a great night at Standard and Pours! If you get the chance you should check out Emily and Becky; they both play around Dallas and won’t disappoint.

Emily’s myspace
Becky’s Myspace
Standard and Pours