Kata Rokkar » show pictures: Mirah with Thao Nguyen, Horse Feathers, Dave Smallen and Carletta Sue Kay

Thao Nguyen / Mirah

So my original plan was to see the always wonderful Mark Kozelek, but as the famous quote goes, “Life doesn’t care about your plans.” Turns out good ol’ Mark doesn’t like photographers at his concerts. So what am I supposed to do with this photo pass then? Well, I drove over to the Swedish American Music Hall to catch the other show is was interested in, Mirah with Thao Nguyen. A wise choice.

First off, I was blindsided by . I can’t describe them, seriously, they must be experienced. Maybe Antony and The Johnsons mixed with Loretta Lynn and …uhh….nevermind…#genrefail. They were great though, very dramatic and theatrical. They’re local too, so be on the lookout. Dave Smallen brought his basic singer-songwriter style with honesty and a bit of homegrown anger. Horse Feathers were amazing as usual. It was my second time catching them this year and they won the crowd over with ease. Afterwards, I bought a glass of red wine from guest bartender John Vanderslice and tipped him pretty well. Thao Nguyen took the stage solo, did one song, and then Mirah joined her. It was quite an experience watching the chemistry between the two. Both doing renditions of each other’s songs and providing back up for whoever was performing. Eventually they were joined by Michael Deni from Geographer and closed the night with some high energy tunes. It was a pretty special night for anyone who witnessed it.

For the entire collection of photos, click here.