Aug 30 2008
Nico Muhly @ La Sala Rossa
This past Tuesday a mob of musicians inconspicuously infiltrated the Montreal scene leaving La Sala Rossa ablaze. The head of the gang was acclaimed composer/pianist Nico Muhly and joining him on this trek were up and coming folk singer Samamidon along with keyboardist/songwriter Doveman. The show started unusually early but the most unusual aspect of this presentation was that there was no opening act or no distinction in sets between the three radically different artists. Instead, what the audience got was a jumble of songs coming from albums by all three musicians playing together on most of each other’s compositions. This unorthodox approach was the key to the evening’s success. It’s safe to say that by the end of the night audience members were swept in a sonic avalanche of sweet dreams interlaced with nightmare imprints.
The first set seemed to be stretching into its own as the musicians gradually fused together in a magic trick of artistic alchemy. Samamidon’s interpretation of traditional Americana folk songs began unassumingly and the first impression was that of listening to an intentionally out of tune songster who had hopped a freight train and hitchhiked across the border somehow finding his way to St. Laurent. However, he truly hit his stride with his “vulture dance” after repeating the phrase “lope like a buzzard” during an upbeat number that almost managed to get the intimate crowd off their feet. The extremely sleepy performance he had mustered up until that point only served to amplify the power of this acrobatic shuffle that made its way around and into the crowd in the night’s only display of showmanship. By this point of the show, the trio (along with exceptional string and drums accompanying them) had hit their stride together and the aura of sound that hovered over the stage was drawing the listeners into a musical black hole. The accompanying drums were played with magical subtlety and occasionally sounded like canyons firing away within the arrangements. The drum-sound was absolutely impeccable.
On keyboards, piano and effects, Nico Muhly exchanged parts and shared the piano with Doveman in duets of sparkling virtuosity and taste. The samples offered via Muhly’s laptop computer were mostly excerpts from the original recordings and added a mesmerizing electronic effect to the overall sonic picture through bells, programmed beats, overlapping vocal bits (including a performance from Antony of Antony & The Johnsons) and other wonderful ambiance inducing parts that sunk perfectly into the live performances. However, the crowning moment was definitely the sequence titled “The Only One” from Muhly’s latest experimental album “Mothertongue” which featured Samamidon doing a haunting rendition of a traditional folk song based on a story of an elder sister drowning the smaller one in a river. As heavy as the story may sound, it was light and fluffy compared to Muhly’s interpretation which seamlessly melted folk’s oral tradition roots, classical music and 21st century electronica to a devastating effect. Without warning, we embarked on a musical journey that bridged ancient and modern while fading the spaces of time right before our ears. It was the equivalent of having gone to a hypnotist. Afterwards, we were left in our altered dream state to wonder what had just transpired.
In the end, we witnessed a one of a kind performance by a gang of diverse musical forces coming together in that rare moment of alchemy. The triumph of this tour is the selfless way in which Muhly, Doveman, and Samamidon have set aside their differences and gathered in harmony with each other’s music. The Bedroom Community label is a true community of eclectic artists coming together in a way legendary labels of the past like Motown or Fania Records teamed up their all-stars. To experience the styles of traditional folk, electronica, indie and contemporary classic collide in unison is a tribute to the willingness of these three great artists to expand beyond all horizons. This is where the future of music is heading.
Photos by: Erik Naumann [www.pandastrong.com]
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