She & Him
The Vista Theatre, 4/28/08
By Jonah Flicker
At 7pm, there was already a long line winding around the corner outside the Vista Theatre in Los Feliz, eager fans waiting to see She & Him perform. It soon became clear that there was some sort of delay, as 7:30 came and went and the doors remained closed. The only sensible course of action seemed to be cocktails, a surefire, age-old method of passing the time. Margaritas at the newly renovated El Chavo turned into fruity, neon-colored concoctions at Good Luck Bar, (The Tiki Ti was sadly closed). By 8:30, it seemed wise to leave the bar and secure a seat in the theater, but I’ll be damned if the line wasn’t even longer. Fortunately, the powers-that-be decided to open the floodgates shortly thereafter, and the crowd slowly trickled inside.
I had my doubts, but a concert at the Vista turns out to be a pretty good idea. The comfortable-for-a-movie-theater seating was filled with an extremely polite crowd and the smell of popcorn happens to be a very pleasant odor to enjoy music too. Lavender Diamond opened the show. Their beatific chamber-folk was surprisingly good, but I’m just not feeling singer Becky Starks’ little girl act. Her voice rings out true and clear when she sings, but, during her stage banter, her cutesy quirk felt put on and unnecessary.
(No photography allowed, so here's a clip of She & Him at SXSW a few weeks ago.)
She & Him, the collaboration between singer-songwriter M. Ward and actress Zooey Deschanel, is a musical perfect storm that creates some awfully beautiful sunsets. Their live performance, backed by a tight band that seemed to be having as much fun as they were, injected the songs from their debut, Volume One (Merge), with energy and intimacy. The combination of country, ‘60s girl group, and ‘70s AM gold that comprises the tracklist of the record was arranged in exciting and original ways.
Deschanel has proved herself to be an amazing singer, effortlessly using her charmingly imperfect voice to reach notes that never feel strained. For a pretty famous actress, she seemed almost nervous onstage, sometimes forgetting the tambourine she clutched in her hands. But this uncertainty was more the sign of someone new to this element of show business than a lack of confidence in her work.
Deschanel occasionally sat down at the piano, an instrument that she happens to play very well, while Ward switched between electric and acoustic guitar. The best moments of the night were the few songs Zooey and Matt played together when the band left the stage, just two like-minded, unassuming songwriters making quietly, beautifully sentimental music. Tonight’s (Tuesday's) show is sold out, but if you are able to secure a ticket via Craigslist () or are lucky enough to get on the guest list, you are in store for a night of extremely satisfying live music.
-Jonah Flicker
Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
Trackbacks
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://mt.laweekly.com/mt-tb.cgi/58554
Slideshows
Canadian Cobrasnake, 7/23/08
Fence jumping, stage diving and Slurpee drinking north of the border
HARD Festival, N*E*R*D, MSTRKRFT, Aoki, Shrine, 7/21/2008
Following up their downtown New Year's Eve party, HARD returns with their Summer Music Festival including A-Trak, Spack Rock and more
Feist, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Hollywood Bowl, 7/20/08
Pacifika also performed at the evening full of indie-folk, soul and electro-flamenco
• Advertisement •
Recent Posts
- Out Today in Stores: Larry Norman, "The Father of Jesus Rock," Gets Anthologized
- Tonight at Family: Gary Panter, Who True Punkers Know as Illustrator for Slash Magazine
- Memorial Day Weekend in LA: Music galore (and MP3s)
- Life is like a Reese's peanut butter cup: "You got rock'n'roll in my politics."
- El-P, Dizzee Rascal, El Rey, 5/22
- R. Kelly Trial: Set It To Music, and It's Trapped in the Closet, Pt. 23
- It's not the technology stupid!: Romantic & pragmatic thoughts on what consumers want from recorded music
- The Kills, El Rey, 5/21
- Neil Hamburger: The LA Weekly Interview
- Biggie Smalls Shuts Down Sunset Boulevard
Archives
Blogroll
Summer Concert Guide
Find the hottest concerts and festivals this summer in the LA Weekly's Summer Concert Guide.
Opportunity Rocks Career Fair
Be the first to hear about the latest career opportunities. Click here to find your dream job!
Little Sexy Black Book
Bring sexy back with LA Weekly's guide to the sexiest spots in Los Angeles.
Living Quarters
Get the real story on LA real estate. Whether you're a renter, a buyer or a seller, Living Quarters is your guide to LA living.
Education Guide
From online learning to 4-year colleges, LA Weekly's Education Guide '08 has answers to all your education questions.
Blank Blankly
Speak Freely at LA Weekly with your own Blank Blankly slogan. Consider Thoroughly, then Create Adverbially only at LA Weekly.
Digital Jukebox
Be. Hear. Now. Listen to the hottest bands and stay on the leading edge of LA's music scene with free streaming music from LA Weekly.
Hook Me Up
Want FREE stuff? Sign up for this week's contests and get the hook-up from LA Weekly.
Insiders
Get Inside with LA Weekly. LA Weekly Insiders has the what to do and where to go in LA. Sign up and we'll deliver Insiders right to your inbox!
Jonathan Gold Text Alerts
Get Jonathan Gold's restaurant picks sent right to your phone and never miss another great meal!
Restaurant Gallery
Hungry? Check out LA Weekly's Restaurant Gallery advertorial for the best grub in LA.
- DELICIOUS HIP HOP AT DELICIOUS PARADISE7/30 at Arena Nightclub
- '80S ROCK AND ROLL7/25 at Three Clubs Cocktail Lounge
- I'M BORED7/26 at Three Clubs Cocktail Lounge
Comments
There are 1 comments posted for this article.
Because it was general admission, I arrived at the Vista before 6 pm to ensure a good seat at a venue unknown to me. There was a line about 20 deep ahead of me. The doors were supposed to open at 6:30, but it was after 8:30 before they did. I heard something about them being late due to interviews. During the show I was waiting for someone to apologize, or at least acknowledge, that we had waited one, two, or even more hours outside, but nothing was said, which left me a bit disappointed.
Lavender Diamond was okay, but the highlight of that performance was the duet with Deschanel.
The musical performance of She and Him was great, and highlighted Deschanel's great voice (something I fell for when she sang in the movie Elf). There were a number of times, though, when the instruments overwhelmed her voice, at least to my 40+ year-old ears. There were also a few times when the bass of the drums, the speakers, and the floor of the Vista created an odd resonance, at least where I was sitting (a dozen rows back, center).
One thing I had hoped for was more interaction between Deschanel and Ward and the audience. The songs were played pretty close to how they were on the album, so I was looking for maybe a couple of "I wrote this song because..." intros. Basically, they appeared to be very comfortable playing their music, but not with interacting with the audience (who I think were somewhat subdued by the long wait).
Hopefully the show Tuesday night will be on time and bring a little more involvement with the audience.
Posted on April 29, 2008 3:03 PM by John