Maria Taylor at the Horseshoe Tavern; Wednesday March 21, 2007

Maria Taylor at the Horseshoe Tavern; Wednesday March 21, 2007. 9/10

Maria Taylor was one-half of Saddle Creek band Azure Ray. She is still on Saddle Creek and has released two great albums, since 2005.I generally measure a show's greatness by a number of factors... if i immediately run to the merch table after (or even before the end) of a show. Maria Taylor was someone who did that somewhat to me. I'm definately listening to her cds now that i bought at the end of the show. ha. This show was briillliant! actually one of the best of the year for me personally. I loved the venue, tiny the way shows should be, and i dig the whole walk to the back of the bar deal, very trendy and intimate. The opener--Basia Bulak, cute, soft-spoken twenty-something girl from London (ONTARIO!). She hopped on stage extemely quiet and timid, not the best character for a musical artist, but definately not the worst. I just listened to her today and remembered her name from somewhere--she was a featured new artist from this week's Eye Weekly Magazine. Eye asked her what people may like if they like her music, she replied: trees, because i like trees or something along those lines, extremely endearing in a little red riding hood kind of way. When she performed she had the ziiing (only word i could think of! at this time of night!) it was a piercing intensity in which she handled perfectly. Her voice was shakey at long notes... whcih was slightly annoying, i wanted to believe it was nerves (again with the endearment) but the more i heard it thhe more it sounded like her style... uhh. Another downside was her Sarah McLachlan quality in which her singer songwriter style evoked. But again, she redeemed herself by doing an unlikely cover of the Strokes 'Someday' which was what i wanted to hear from her, it was great. I initially heard it on her myspace--- (www.myspace.com/basiamyspace) and i didn't even realize that it was that song, she's so damn classy (and cute! ugh...)The main act--Maria Taylor, came on in great time only ten minutes late, opening with new tracks off her freshly released album "Lynn Teeter Flower" just put out this year probably a few weeks ago. Dispite the recent release she played tons of old stuff to keep the audience all there. She introduced the mid set as half-time and sent half the band away and kept her family on stage--sister Kate Taylor on the keyboard and brother Macey Taylor on the bass. She featured slower tracks off both albums and my personal favourite "Speak Easy" a sweet tune that sounded like something from the fifties... she also played an Etta James cover "At Last" it was pure vocals and bass, nicely done at that.Maria Taylor is a very mellow person, but in songs like "Xanax" she rocked out, fully. Amazing to watch, it was just loud fully syncronized music, it worked and i dug it. Nearing the end on the last song played titled "Song Beneath a Song" a kid in super tight pants jumped on stage and grabbed a mic and sang "It's not a love, it's not a love, it's not a love song" The main lyrics of the end of the song they were all singing, her face was stunned and she let the guy continue with his Britney Spears hand gestures take full form. At the end she thanked the guy for doing that and making her evening, sincerly.I really wanted the two albums, but i refused to pay $22.99 at HMV. There was no merch table...however three-quarters of the way through the set she announced they don't have much but she smuggled some swag accross the boarder because apparently they have taxes on each item they bring over... they set out a sales area at the front of the stage at the end and began to sell stuff, i got both cds for 20 bucks! LESS THAN WHAT I WOULD HAVE PAID FOR ONE. wooah. Outstanding show, what made me enjoy this so much was the realization of her talent through the live show of her recorded stuff, please plaese don't judge her by the stuff off her recorded albums but jump on youtube and listennnnn to live stuff, it's great.

Download: "Speak Easy" and "Xanax"and don't forget Basia Bulat's cover of "Someday" on her myspace.

March 22, 2007