Lissie
In a somewhat packed house at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, the crowd resembled the crew I used to see at Rilo Kiley shows; young, light hearted indie-chicks with photographer boyfriends in tow. I honestly did not expect that at all. In fact the last time I saw Lissie was opening for City and Colour at the Fillmore and while she got a good response, I wasn’t sure she was ready to headline the Great American Music Hall just yet.
Dylan Leblanc
Opening was the Southern Americana folk singer, Dylan LeBlanc. Touring on his recently released debut album Pauper’s Field, Dylan made an artful and charming impression on the already growing audience. He displayed an adeptness and musical sophistication that was very remarkable and was quite lyrically sharp for a man his age (20 yrs old). I was inclined to look further into his work after the show.
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[mp3] Dylan LeBlanc – If The Creek Don’t Rise from Paupers Field (2010)
Lissie
Lissie is not a new kind of artist. The “coffeeshop female singer-songwriter” card has been played to death and is another over-saturated genre of music that disguises itself as unfettered self-expression rather than what it really is, dull and soulless. However, Lissie is trying her hardest to branch away from that seemingly inevitable label that might best describe her music. Her live presence is sweet at first and then commanding within seconds. Vulnerable at first glance then defensive when you least expect it. It’s interesting to watch and quickly dissolves the “coffeeshop” label from anyone’s mind.
Lissie
Having heard her EP for some time now but not gracing across her latest album Catching a Tiger, I was unfamiliar with a majority of songs she played. She was able to rope me in with the moving and haunting Wedding Bells as well as the song that is featured on both her EP and LP, Little Lovin‘, which got a rousing response from the crowd.
All together, Lissie might not be a groundbreaking force but she’s small, subtle, and at the same time, intimidating. She still might be able to break away from dreaded “coffeeshop female singer-songwriter” label if she keeps this up.
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[mp3] Lissie – Little Lovin’ from Why You Runnin’ (2009)