By: David Schultz

Come this fall, the adorable and awesome St. Vincent will be joining Andrew Bird for a month's worth of shows. Without veering into the realm of pretentiousness both St. Vincent (nee Annie Clark) and Bird have carved out nice niches for themselves: she as a rockin' version of Holly Golightly and he as a hip whistling, violin player with a neat looping machine. If St. Vincent's show at Webster Hall and Bird's at Carnegie Hall are any indication, this should be one amazing tour.

The dates for the double bill:

Sept. 29 Indianapolis, IN - The Murat Theatre
Sept. 30 Columbia, MO - The Blue Note

Oct. 3 New Orleans, LA - Tipitina's Uptown
Oct. 5 Birmingham, AL - Workplay Soundstage
Oct. 7 Carrboro, NC - The Cat's Cradle
Oct. 8 Carrboro, NC - The Cat's Cradle
Oct. 9 Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel
Oct. 10 Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
Oct. 12 Charleston, SC - The Music Farm
Oct. 13 Knoxville, TN - The Bijou Theater
Oct. 14 Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's
Oct. 17 Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theater
Oct. 18 Kalamazoo, MI - State Theatre
Oct. 19 Columbus, OH - The Southern Theatre
Oct. 21 Buffalo, NY - Asbury Hall at Babeville
Oct. 24 South Portland, ME - S. Portland High School Auditorium
OCt. 25 Philadelphia, PA - The Electric Factory
Oct. 26 South Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
Oct. 27 Providence, RI - Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
Oct. 28 Washington, DC - The 930 Club

LAST YEAR, THE ROTHBURY FESTIVAL made fantastic inroads into the summer circuit as a destination event that was well worth the trip to the Midwest. They've outdone themselves this year with sets from Bob Dylan, The Dead and a reunited String Cheese Incident making for a fine slate of headliners. If you are sitting at home wondering what might be going on in Michigan this weekend, check out a couple sets at home by clicking here.

Labels: Andrew Bird, St. Vincent

By: David Schultz

Ever since the release of her quirky and charming Marry Me, St. Vincent, known to her friends and family as Annie Clark, has entered the rarefied air of artists who cannot be criticized lest you be excommunicated from the hipster circle of trust. Like most people that reach that status, St. Vincent actually deserves the praise and merits more of a listen from the mainstream than she will likely ever receive. Given New York City's purported stature as a city at the forefront of the musical curve, St. Vincent's midweek show at Webster Hall, which helped kick start a modest U.S. tour, had a surprising number of tickets available.

On Actor, her latest effort released last month, St. Vincent continues on from where she left off with Marry Me. The waiflike creature who bragged about spending while Jesus saved is still dipping her toes in the pool of self-aware ennui, this time begging to be saved from her own desires on “Save Me From What I Want.” By design, Vincent’s airy melodies are derivative of the light and breathy soundtracks of Walt Disney feature films. While Clark’s pixyish good looks and diminutive stature are conducive to a halo of bluebirds and forest fauna flocking at her feet, she is more Holly Golightly than Snow White and even then, the whole combination seems to be an elaborate put on.

A former guitarist for The Polyphonic Spree, Clark knows how to dance to the beat of her own drummer and get everyone else in step with her vision. At Webster Hall, she used a pair of adjacent microphones to accent the split personality or conscience that lurks amidst her lyrics; a neat stage trick that gave the performance an understated edge. With a full band, the Disneyish frills are more atmospheric than cutesy and the new wave Talking Heads style bounce of songs like “Marrow” groove with a fine finesse.

Watching St. Vincent perform and listening to her lyrics, she is probably who Liz Phair would have grown up to be had the randy girl possessed more self-esteem and didn’t trap herself in the role of a smutty MILF by documenting her youthful fancy for blowing guys who acted like rock stars and treated her brusquely thereafter. More particularly towards Clark, her live show, however, brief, enhances future listens of both Marry Me and Actor. As they both come into clearer focus, you gain a better understanding of her fantastic ability to lay cheeky lyrics over near-saccharine instrumentation and wrap up the whole concoction in a blowsy yet concise burst of new wavish pop.

Labels: St. Vincent