Compared to Bianco's set, Youngs' was a study in understated intensity, heightened mainly by the electrified indie pop pouring forth from the speakers. Her vocals are the love child of Erin McKeown and Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley), delivered with almost no physical expression. Youngs couldn't stand still while performing, but the activity of her body stopped at the neck, leaving her facial expressions bland and seemingly uninterested.
Where her stage presence lacked the punch of Bianco's, she attempted to make up for it with the liberal use of profanity. I'm no prude, but it quickly wore thin for me, and I silently wished she would say something clever and witty rather than resorting to curses meant to titillate the audience. On the other hand, I really shouldn't have been so surprised since the song "Fuck Was I" is currently her most well-known composition.
After a series of long, slow, expressionless songs that drug the momentum of the evening down to a near halt, things picked back up again with the final song of the set, the aforementioned "Fuck Was I." Still, I found myself feeling less interested in Youngs' music than I was after the first few songs of her set. On the up side, she wasn't the first performer on the bill, which meant I stuck around longer than I would have.
After a short set change, Sean Hayes came out to play. Kuffner and Christgau finally got a chance to relax for the evening, since Hayes brought his own band. The crowd that had gathered in the space in front of the stage for Youngs stayed put, and they seemed to be equally interested in listening to Hayes' set. So was I, but in the middle of his first song, his monitor started smoking and the smell was enough to drive me to the back of the room for fresh air. At which point, I decided that his tenor vibrato, the uncomfortably packed room, and the late hour, were enough to tip the balance towards driving the two hours over the mountains back to my waiting bed.
There are still a few days left of their tour, and it would be well worth your time to go, if just to bask in the energy emanating from Jim Bianco.
Article comments
1 - Donald Gibson
Would you recommend the music (albeit perhaps not the live experience of it) of Jenny Owen Youngs?
The only song I've heard from her is the Nelly song she covers, but I thought it was clever. I'm curious about how she is with her own songs.
-Donald
2 - Anna Creech
Actually, I do like her music, for the most part, if I'm just listening to it. It just doesn't translate well to a live show.