I fell in love with the lines - "All the things I never got to say, like you look smashing in your fourth grade picture the one you left in our little home." I have no clue why but the marshmallow inside of me gravitated for the mushy, musy words in the tune "Suicide Medicine".
I felt a little exausted at this show - as I really can't listen to that much singer/songwriter as I once could. Ironically enough Votolato confessed to the crowd that he hadn't been to Toronto in two years because he was going through some record company issues where he claimed his efforts weren't sounding like he wanted them to. He said he wanted to do what he originally started playing music for - to sing and play guitar. I found it too simple and repetitive this go 'round. I'm a little conflicted because I'm not sure if i'm satisfied with the lone guy with an acoustic guitar.
It's amazing that since 2004 he has released three albums - I jumped ship after the first release and even then I barely listened to it.
Votolato's live show is intimate - he's comfortable, in a sense you can tell he's been at it for years. He's in his early thirties and knows what he's doing. It was just him on a stage with about five different harmonicas and a capo. I was a little wry to not know much of his material apart from the album Suicide Medicine, fortunately he laid my fears to rest and opened up the show with the song "Alabaster". About half way through the set he played "Mix Tapes/Cell Mates" which is a song I really, really love for its fine guitar picking and charming lyrics. I decided to split a little early - even though he hadn't yet played "Suicide Medicine". Making my way to the back of the tiny venue he said to the audience: "This song is about having problems in the brain..." or something along those lines and he began playing the repetitive chords in "Suicide Medicine". I was just so elated to hear it, despite my incredible fatigue and fear of the one hundred pounds of school work I have on my back. I somehow managed to turn my brain off and just quietly sing the lyrics to myself. I didn't feel much, not as the song once did to me, but I know the song by memory, by heart. Knowing the lyrics of that song is apart of me now - it's really incredible how easy they came out. I knew them without having to think... It was a really incredible three minutes.
A little out of order but the lovely Brooke Waggoner played. Unlike Rocky, I've only been familiar with Brooke for just under a week. I've kept in touch with her on Youtube - the song "So-So" really roped me in. It sounds quite a bit like Regina Spektor - in this particular song. In listening to her other songs - I felt a little bored. Live I felt the exact same way - her background is classical piano. She really shows it in a lot of her music. She even declared in the middle of her set that she feels like she sucked all the life out of us - and broke into a song about not having a job. She told the crowd - she has friends that always complain about being out of a job, she then said that it's always the same person complaining. She had a harp player with her - all I could think of was how lousy it would be to lug around a harp across the country and over the border...
I was charmed by her completely and bought a couple of her albums.
Seattle's Rocky Votolato
The very articulate Brooke Waggoner from Nashville, TN
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