The term “short and sweet” was an all-too-apt description of EMA‘s blistering five-song set at the 9:30 Club on Monday night. Crunched amidst a crowded four-act bill headlined by Brazilian dance-rockers CSS, singer/guitarist Erika M. Anderson arguably stole the show, winning over an initially reticent crowd with her extraordinary art-rock soundscapes.
From a strictly musical standpoint, it was an utter shame that EMA — whose Past Life Martyred Saints is one of the year’s finest records — was allotted only about the same amount of time as the lip-syncing/prop-comedy performance by drag queen Summer Camp, who had the then-sparse crowd still buzzing with chuckles and chatter as Anderson began strumming the chords to her album-opening epic, “The Grey Ship”. People gradually began to pay attention as Anderson sang the quiet initial verses, and she and guitarist Nicky Mao finally left them no choice by stomping on their distortion pedals mid-song to unleash dramatic, tone-changing riffs and drones. With her sister Nicole wailing on the drums and Leif Shackelford adding color on keyboards and violin, Anderson declaimed haunting, incantational lyrics as the song culminated in thrilling bursts of explosive sound.
After a searing rendition of the noise-pop stunner “Milkman”, Anderson declared that “if anyone gets this next one, I’ll give you a high five” before launching into the a cappella intro to The Violent Femmes’ 1983 classic “Add It Up”. Alongside Shackelford’s violin licks, her raw, throaty growls infused the song with a furious urgency that made Ethan Hawke’s Reality Bites version seem even more laughable than it already was. Next up came the taut, bracing “Butterfly Knife”, during which Anderson picked out DCist’s Valerie Paschall from the second row, placing our music editor’s finger on her guitar to strike a chord.
Indeed, the set seemed only to be kicking into high gear when EMA played her first single and best-known song, the stirring anti-anthem “California”. “Fuck California, you made me boring, I’ve bled all my blood out,” Anderson sang as Mao and Shackelford unfurled sheets of noise from amplified violins. It unfortunately turned out to be her final song, Anderson delivering the previously promised high-fives to some fans in the front row as she left the stage to enthusiastic cheers.
It’s said the first rule of show business is to “always leave them wanting more,” and EMA certainly did just that, as many of the new fans she gained on Monday night will likely be looking forward to a much more extensive performance next time she comes through town.
