Joanna Newsom (Swedish American Music Hall, 25 February 2005)

I have to admit, when I first heard Joanna Newsom, I thought her voice was the most annoying thing in the world. This disdain for her voice was rooted in my first two years of working in New York where all the secretaries had that Fran Dresher accent from Long Island. Coming from California, I thought that such accents were an overexaggeration, but, hence, if anything, it was an understatement. From that point on, I found such accents annoying, although at times endearing. Thus, when I first heard of Joanna Newsom sing about bees and honey, it sounded like Fran Dresher with a harp.

Then, something changed. I think as more and more people started convincing me of how awesome she is, and after several articles, I decided to download her album. I listened to the entire thing and still found her voice somewhat annoying. The thing is, I started to like it. When I watched the Nanny on CBS, I hated it, but when I watched the syndicated versions, I liked it. Well, that's how Milk Eyed Mender was to me - it was annoying like the Nanny in the beginning, but I liked it after a few listens.

So, I went to this show with a bit of optimism that this is going to be a special show, but also with a bit of pessimism because this might be one of those annoying shows where I just want to chuck tomatoes at people.

This is the first time I have ever been to the Swedish American Music Hall (SAMH) and it was quite a sight! The SAMH is a very small venue, although slightly bigger than its sister venue, Cafe Du Nord. As you enter, you feel like you are in a Swiss Miss fantasy land. Of course, the first order of business when entering a venue is to get the liquids, but when I approached the concession stand, all there was was snacks and tea! Good grief, is this an elementary school recital or something?

Well, it certainly felt that way as I entered the venue. Folding chairs all around with a bunch of people standing about. The crowd itself looked like a bunch of elementary school teachers and proud parents, waiting for their prized pupil or offspring to play. The stage was rather small, with just a folding chair there for the singer.

We skipped the opener and opted to go to the rather brute Lucky 13 bar next door. We came back just in time for Joanna and there she was, pretty as a pixie with a doily on her head, playing that humungous harp. She was having trouble adjusting her seat at times, since, she candidly admits, "It's hard to find a good chair for a harp."

She opened up with a song that I don't know the title of and she encouraged the crowd to clap along - which we all did. At this point, I can barely hear her voice. The next song, which was a 15 minute epic, was just great! The voice came out of her, and it was so surreal. It was so amazing, yet I was bewildered. I asked, "Self, how the hell does a voice like that come out of her?" Then Self said, "I don't know. Shut up and listen to her singing, bitch!" Yeah, Self and I have issues we need to address.

I left Self alone and started listening to her some more. The crowd loved every single song she played and were just so in awe with her voice and her cute presence. She thanked the crowd often, acknowledged her dad and sister from Valley City being there amongst the crowd, and even dedicated a few songs.

Definite stand outs were "En Gallop," "Sproud and the Bean," and "Peach, Plum, Pear." Absolutely stunning performance! Her voice is still somewhat annoying, but it's just amazing to see a performer like her sing and play the harp.

A definite breath of fresh air from all the rock.

Beer Rating: 2 Beers