Thursday, January 16, 2014

Recording: Isla Craig

Artist: Isla Craig

Song: Messages

Recorded at The Great Hall ("Long Winter: Year 2, Volume 3"), January 10, 2013.

Isla Craig - Messages

Full review to follow. With jam-packed rooms and three stages going at once at a few points, there's just no way you can see everything at a Long Winter any more. You just have to sorta dive in and see where the current takes you.

Celebrating having a song released on the free 7" being handed out at the gig, Isla Craig put together something of a special lineup for the night. Lately she's been performing with her Soul Sisters Supreme (Ivy Mairi, Tamara Lindeman, Daniela Gesundheit, Felicity Williams), singing unaccompanied to highlight the beautiful mystery of their combined voices — but this night also saw a backing band of old friends and collaborators (Colin Fisher, Brandon Valdivia, Scott Peterson and Chris Sandes) to add some extra oomph to the sound. It was a successful experiment and no surprise that these musicians have an easy chemistry from frequently playing together (in Prince Enoki's Insect Orchestra, New Civilization and many other combinations and permutations), although there was also the sense that if the band had a few more gigs together, they'd really gel into something special. That doesn't seem to be in the cards for the moment — Craig has announced a winter break from performing to focus on writing new material for awhile — but don't rule out the possibility of seeing this super-combo on stage again.

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