Martha Wainwright

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Wed Nov 02, 2005 8:00 pm

Have been enthusing on gig thread, but want to profile raise with a dedicated thread! She is surely going to make loads of incredibly good records and go down in musical history. Too much talent there not to. She's 29, not so young, after a lot of backing vocals for Rufus etc., but boy is she incredible both as a vocalist and a songwriter. And it's not just that I'm in love with her, which of course I am, cos she seduces the entire audience ('we love you Martha!'), but the 10 or so people I know who were there were all blown away: 'the best live vocals I've ever heard' etc. Don't miss the experience if you get the opportunity on this tour. Check out dates on:

http://www.marthawainwright.com/live.html

Paris is a must for Verena:

Monday Noverber 28, 2005
Casino De Paris
Paris
France
Supporting Rufus Wainwright with
Sufjan Stevens and The Go Team!
http://www.casinodeparis.fr

Go Team! are a large band with about 7 female vocalists, lots of fun live, I am sure. WSS will tell you Sufjan is the man of the hour. Am tempted to hop on Eurostar for that one. If I was rich...

The site also contains 5 or so complete song files - beautifully launchable from the site without needing to open Real Player or WMV or whatever, so you can sample. I'm sure the LP will repay endless listens, but it would seem that live is where the mustard is truly cut.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Wed Nov 02, 2005 8:15 pm

The Yahoo discussion site linked on the above has more details on the Cambridge gig (e.g. re excellent cover of Street Fighting Man), and a link to some nice flickr photos, also with some good Cambridge shots, and, funnily enough, the other gig I went to recently, The Broken Family Band (though to split hairs these were the Friday gig and I went Sat, so we ain't been trailing each other).

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/marthawainwright/

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Wed Nov 02, 2005 8:19 pm

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Wed Nov 02, 2005 9:42 pm

Otis Westinghouse wrote:Paris is a must for Verena:

Monday Noverber 28, 2005
Casino De Paris
Paris
France
Supporting Rufus Wainwright with
Sufjan Stevens and The Go Team!
http://www.casinodeparis.fr

Go Team! are a large band with about 7 female vocalists, lots of fun live, I am sure. WSS will tell you Sufjan is the man of the hour. Am tempted to hop on Eurostar for that one. If I was rich...

Wow! That's quite a show. I'll be seeing Rufus on Saturday night (OK Go are opening - he apparently likes bands with "Go" in their names). Will let you know how it is.

Mike Boom · Post by **Mike Boom** » Wed Nov 02, 2005 9:55 pm

And dont forget these lovely ladies.

"Dancer With Bruised Knees" and "Love Over and Over" especially are both brilliant.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Thu Nov 03, 2005 2:49 pm

Indeed. They're so similar! Which is the mum (Kate, I think)? Must check out these recordings.

Talking of celbrity parents, I think I forgot to mention that Martha is supported in the UK by Teddy Thompson, son of R & L, both of whom guest on his forthcoming LP Separate Ways, along with Rufus and Martha! Incestuous. So it was a kind of themed evening. He was OK, not great. Good, clear voice, a nice delicate song or two, some more average faster things. I only saw about 10 mins.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Thu Nov 03, 2005 2:49 pm

verena · Post by **verena** » Thu Nov 03, 2005 5:41 pm

Ot, I don't mind to go to this concert if you so recommend. What kind of music is Wainwright in ?

Oh, and I just got a cd with Murray Perahia playing. But they're still out of Goldberg Variations, how unnerving.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Thu Nov 03, 2005 6:26 pm

Well constructed songs with good arrangements. Often slowish, mostly quite impassioned. Nearest I can think of as comparison is Aimee Mann, but she's quite distinct at the same time. Check out the 5 song files on the above website. I love Factory. If you remotely like the songs on the site, you are sure to be impressed by seeing her live, and then assuming you are still on for Dec 8, you can tell me and WSS all about her and Sufjan!

verena · Post by **verena** » Fri Nov 04, 2005 6:14 pm

All right I'll go to the concert. I had a listen at MW, cool voice, her face looks familiar. Wonder about the main act, but gonna trust you guys on that one (for a change !

)

Otis London still OK at my end, but I think the agreed date is Friday Dec. 9. Kindly confirm if I got it right, cause I'd like to make a booking with Eurostar in advance this time.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Fri Nov 04, 2005 9:04 pm

Well it's the Friday anyway! I thought that was the 8th and Sat was the 9th, but I realise now I'm wrong. See you there!

King Hoarse · Post by **King Hoarse** » Tue Nov 08, 2005 9:25 pm

I'm so happy I could die, because not only did I buy three great new Martha products -

1. the Special Edition of what I think is the album of the year, now with an INCREDIBLE Barbara cover (passing my other copy on to my equally happy and impressed girlfriend)

2. the McGarrigle Hour DVD, the CD of which has been a huge favourite for years

3. the McGarrigle Christmas Hour, which of course puts all other xmas albums ever to shame (except maybe the Vandals, because they don't feel shame)

- but I also found out that the semigodess herself is playing my hometown of Malmö in a month, the night after I return from a weird little tour of Southern UK. In the words of Ivan, I...WILL...BE...THERE!

PS. You may call me Fanboy. DS

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Tue Nov 08, 2005 9:36 pm

King Hoarse wrote:3. the McGarrigle Christmas Hour, which of course puts all other xmas albums ever to shame (except maybe the Vandals, because they don't feel shame)

Rufus did a tune from this album, called "Spotlight On Christmas", when I saw him on Saturday. Made a sarcastic crack about what a perfect, Christmas-y kind of family they are.

There is a McGarrigle family Christmas concert taking place at Carnegie Hall on my birthday. Rufus and Martha taking part as well, I think. Hmmm...

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Wed Nov 09, 2005 6:51 pm

Hey Fanboy! Nice one.

King Hoarse wrote:1. the Special Edition of what I think is the album of the year, now with an INCREDIBLE Barabara cover

Wait till you see it live! Breathtaking, basically. Have to confess a total ignorance of Barbara, but what a song.

King Hoarse wrote:but I also found out that the semigodess herself is playing my hometown of Malmö in a month, the night after I return from a weird little tour of Southern UK. In the words of Ivan, I...WILL...BE...THERE!

Perfect! No need for complicated detours for that one. Next up, tickets for Rufus!

verena · Post by **verena** » Wed Nov 09, 2005 7:37 pm

Done.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sat Nov 12, 2005 4:39 pm

Good move.

Who Shot Sam? · Post by **Who Shot Sam?** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 8:04 pm

Been listening to her CD a lot lately. Anger, sadness, abandon, confusion. Great stuff - gets better every time I listen to it. Really outstanding - great for an early morning train ride into London through the fog on the Gatwick Express.

johnfoyle · Post by **johnfoyle** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 8:30 pm

Just in from seeing Martha do an excellent show here in Dublin. I'd seen her do an awful show in July ; a drunken Friday night crowd who just would not shut , she got drunk , forgot words , etc . This time , helped my months of touring , she was fantastic. Tight band , efficient , rapid transition between songs , clear , commanding vocals, the works.

She was also so funny. Her jeans kept slipping down and she bemoaned the fact that the current fashion for low-hipped pants just didn't suit all women. Similarly the lower buttons on her blouse kept detaching , which she kept fixing behind the body of her acoustic guitar.

Teddy Thompson a great solo support slot , the songs from his new album getting better and better the more I hear them.

Martha was charming to meet afterwards , when she signed copies of the new edition of her album. One of those bonustracks is a cover of Barbara's classic chanson Dis quand reviendras-tu?, which Martha finished tonight's show with in epic style.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 8:36 pm

Nice report! I've been waiting up for you... Sounds similar to Cambridge, with the closing Barbara song a highlight. Unfortunately I didn't wait around, the lure of a final drink (or three) was too strong... Nor was she having clothes problems in Cambridge. She did order a round of tequilas for the band, though.