Despite knowing her ethereal voice from Stars and Broken Social Scene, we weren’t terribly excited for Amy Millan’s solo performance at the Black Cat on Saturday. From listening to her debut solo album, Honey frrom the Tombs, we already knew that her music 1. would be more alt-country than mood-rock and 2. would be much quieter and less dynamic than her more high-profile groups. We were only semi-right on both accounts. While she certainly brought alt-country to the crowd, she also brought some infectious blue-grass and a few soft-pop ditties. On the second account, while she was much quieter, she was no less dynamic. Her six piece band brought exuberance and volume to many of her songs. She put on an enthralling set that took us in from start to finish and solidified her solo career on par with her other endeavors.
Opener Eric Bachmann played a pleasant, if forgettable set. With acoustic guitar in hand, and a gravelly voice, he provided the perfect backdrop for… well, a coffee house. And at a coffee house we were not, but rather a subdued Black Cat on a chily saturday night. Depending on your state of mind, this could have been totally annoying or suprisingly refreshing. We’re taking the middle road. Though his performance was a bit lackluster, his mellow songs were a relaxing change of pace for the often too-loud-to-hear-yourself-think Black Cat.
As soon as Millan came on and began “Baby, I,” we realized that the intensity we were afraid she might lack was supplied fully, albeit softly, onstage. While she sounds sweet on her album, and the songs are quite nice, they lack the type of enveloping warmth or even enveloping sense of loss that one would hope for from an alt-country, bluegrass-inspired album. Most come across as lovely but one-dimensional songs delivered in her signature breathy voice, all over an acoustic guitar. Live, however, there is a richness to her songs that harnesses some much needed depth and texture. This was due in no small part to her stellar ensemble, which included a lap-steel player, a banjo/trombone/guitar player and an amazing electric mandolinist, Dan Whitely (from the band Crazy Strings). Rounding out the band are keyboards, bass, percussion and of course, Millan on acoustic guitar.
