Melissa Ferrick live at the Bitter End - NYC, May 12 & West Strand Grill - Kingston, NY with Blueberry - Aug. 17. A 99.5 percent all-girl crowd of lesbians and lesbian wannabes that filled the Better End for one of the better shows Ive ever seen advertised for that venue - perhaps thats why my sub conscious told my brother to meet me at the Bottom Line. (Im sure I wasnt the only who made the mistake because the dude at that club practically redirected me before I opened my mouth). Melissa Ferrick seemed right at home on the stage thats seen every folk guitarist from Arlo Guthrie to Pete Seeger. She played solo in New York, not so much as a tambourine to back her up. She said the room sounded much different full than during the sound check - gee. In the metropolitan appearance, she joked with the audience about CB radio conversations she had on the road - I still dont know what LGBT stands for (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered - I guess.) - handle for a lesbian trucker... She played Jill Sobules I Kissed a Girl, a true crowd pleaser and adopting an English accent like her manager, said she was instructed dont talk about oral sex. In the latter half of the hour-long set, Ferrick drifted occasionally into slower tunes while the audience policed itself, ssshing one another to the point where her near whispers could be heard. Ferrick opened with the title track from her new album, Freedom, after a 40 minute set by Blueberry - a Hudson Valley band. A few words about them... They had that wacca-wacca-wacca, wa-wa retro sound complete with the dyno-mite Jimmy Walker style fro on drummer Zach Alfred. The front gals instrument was of the keyed variety, and played a lot more than just the occasional chord, while belting out their tunes. From what I could hear, with the band - as opposed to the from the street where she sounded almost acappela, she was doing a pretty convincing job of it. Youre allowed to dance, by the way, she informed the crowd - but I didnt notice anyone take her up on it. Playing to a crowd of about a hundred or so, plus many more listening via simulcast, Ferrick slipped into a near yodel at the end, with stage mannerisms resembling Sinead O'Conner as my friend well call Blondie observed. Ferrick introduced Marika TJelios her bass player and thanked the crowd numerous times for coming out on a Thursday night, while working her way through North Carolina - a song written while in... North Carolina, and of course Everything I Need which evoked cheers with the first couple of strums. During the second set well after the simulcast ended, Ferrick assumed a more intimate persona, introducing the question of homosexuality - an important element of her songs and her possibly her success. She said she was glad not to be the only gay person in the room - the songs grew more sexual too, like One Night Stand, Will you be the one?, and The Stranger. One of my favorite lines of the night was from one of those later songs. Will you ask me where I hurt and heal me with your eyes. Towards the end they played a song Ferrick said Marika hadnt played in a while. If my diggity bop doesnt come out so well, forgive me, she invited. Her diggity bop was just fine... | |||||