Theresa Andersson At Hotel Cafe, Castledoor at Echoplex

I got my second dose of Theresa Andersson at 7PM Tuesday night (January 20, 2009) at the Hotel Cafe. It was a logistical challenge to get out of work, home, to the venue within one hour, but I managed to make it by 7:10. I saw almost all of her dynamic set.

Running into Kevin Bronson later that night at another show at the Echoplex, he told me she has to go on first because of her incredibly detailed sound requirements. Makes sense to me, as any instrument she picks up is tuned and amplified to perfection.

First song I heard was "Na Na Na", which was a highlight of her Amoeba show last Saturday (Jan. 18) and it blew me away all over again. How she can dance, record, loop while pushing pedals and buttons with her bare feet and play an instrument, as she sings with astonishing precision, is a wonder to me.

She blends rock, blues, jazz, soul, bluegrass, even Broadway-style belting into a unique style, quite her own. She adds one, then another, then another background vocal until she's built a four-woman girl group, right before your astonished eyes.

She introduced us to her band. Basically, her right foot, her left foot, her right hand and her left hand. All incredibly talented in their own right. She even has accompaniment, on one number, by New Orleans drummer Smokey Johnson, via a record player, and sings a song by Allen Toussaint, with whom she has collaborated. One song was performed in her native Swedish, which is a beautiful language to sing.

She has an obvious passion for performance art, and I could have watched her dance all night. Theresa Andersson has one more night at the Hotel Cafe on January 30 and I urge you not to miss it. Then she heads off to the East Coast and an appearance on Conan O'Brien.


Instead, I headed off to the Echoplex for the first "Check One...Twosdays" since the demise of Indie 103.1 on the airwaves. There was a slight tinge of melancholy in the air, but it had no effect on the exuberant performance by Castledoor. This band can lift your spirits faster than anyone and they played a great set of old and new tunes. One new song, "Buried Treasure" is a real gem and maybe my favorite of their compositions, but then again "Dumpster Diving" is just as good.

I've seen Castledoor many times and they never fail to have me totally under their spell by the end, and Wednesday was no exception. I can't wait for a full length album from these guys. They have so much good material and their recordings capture their sound beautifully.

whrabbit