Jennifer Terran
Nancy Hess
Carmina Piranha
at Dante's in Portland, OR

After a day of home brewing and doing some extensive beer sampling, I decided to get off my ass and catch the show. I had heard that, not only was the opening act a pianist, but Lara Michell would be making her rock and roll keyboard debut in Nancy Hess's band. Wouldn't you know I'm a sucker for keys.

Jennifer Terran opened the show. Her husband, Brendan Statom, backed the singer-songwriter from Santa Barbara on double bass. The double bass was unfortunately lost in the mix and the soundman refused to put one of the myriad of microphones onstage on it, but what came through was a melodic and sometimes percussive compliment to Terran's piano and vocal. Though I know she won't care for the comparison, the similarity to Tori Amos is the first thing to jump out. Her voice goes from soft and warm to passionately pissed from one phrase to the next and her piano playing is skillfully woven around her songs. She's no Tori Amos wannabe, though. Her lyrics reflect her distaste for the music industry, her love of Trader Joe's, and some of the darker corners of her soul. Perhaps a twist of Liz Phair, to draw another unwelcome comparison. On LA 101 she used a megaphone that probably would've been fine without also using the microphone and that wreaked all kinds of havoc on the sound. Still, with lyrics like, "there's more music than what you hear on the fucking radio" and press photos of Jennifer in bed with a gun, I like this angry young woman. I would've liked to hear more. This weekend's performances in support of her third album, The Musician, (she also played at the Madd Hatter Lounge and did an in-store at Music Millennium) were Jennifer's first time in Portland. I, for one, hope she comes back soon.

Next up was Nancy Hess's band. Despite some feedback problems, they soared through a great set. With her Gretsch slung over her shoulder, Nancy clearly belongs on stage and her songs are the hook-laden things that pop dreams are made of. The addition of Lara Michell on keys is brilliant. What Lara adds in backing vocals would warrant her presence in any band, but her keyboard work also added a nice dimension to the material. The line up also included Matt Boudreau on drums, Andy Ricker on bass, and Dave Camp on lead guitar and backing vocals. Probably the most blatant, well-done pop/rock I've heard in town for about a decade. The harmonies were tight, the dynamics were excellent, and the arrangement was such that the parts didn't walk all over each other. Nancy's vocal was difficult to make out, a fairly common problem for live shows and one that needs to be remedied. In the end, Kirsten Swanson and Lisa Springfield joined Nancy and Lara on stage and the headliner began. There isn't a whole lot that can be said about Carmina Piranha that hasn't already been said. I always forget what a great band this is and am impressed with how uncompromisingly they rock - and without men or a single electric guitar. Girls kick ass indeed. Noteworthy points were Stillness, a song that lives up to anything but it's name, Slip, with all of it's twists and turns, and a really unconventional rendition of Venus. The thing that I'll never understand is the theory behind playing hardcore metal between the bands for a show like this. Plus the CD skipped a couple times - not that that really makes a difference, but it seems to me that, if the CD skips, put a different one in and pick something that fits the music of the acts that are playing. Just a thought. Personally, I really like Dante's but I've never cared for the fact that the subwoofers vibrate under the stage and the mains are muffled behind heavy curtains. Perhaps this is why the vocals rarely came out Saturday. All in all I came away with a renewed sense of hope for the Portland music scene. And a big ass bar tab.