From the Ethereal to The Real,
Dana Falconberry and Chris Denny Double-Team the Tavern
For what is becoming the place to be in Lotta Rock for all forms of alternative, indie, and alt-country music, White Water Tavern served up 4 more hours Thursday night of non-stop good times to an overflow crowd. With the return of Dana Falconberry along with Chris Denny and his band, those attending not only came expecting a lot, but they got even more than they bargained for.
The dainty, waifish Falconberry opened the night with an array of her delicate and quite beautiful songs, which matched very nicely her diaphanous countenance. The noise in the room proved a bit of a hindrance and could have been overcome with more volume through the sound system, though in a way this actually seemed to add to the ethereal quality of the performance. I would love to see her in more of a coffee-shop setting. Falconberry brings to mind Regina Spektor, though much less quirky, and while I was disappointed she didn’t perform her song "love will never leave you alone" (see below), she showed prudence in sticking to those songs that work best for her in a live performance. Having been disappointed with Spektor’s set at the ACL Music Festival last fall, I think that would be a practice that she, Spektor, might well want to investigate.
Dana Falconberry is a Michigan native and Hendrix graduate, and now lives in Austin, TX. We anxiously await her return performance in Little Rock, as well as the release of her new album which is due out September 30.
From the empyreal to the earthy, the night suddenly changed as Chris Denny and the Old Soles took the stage -- and once again, the audience bestowed its appreciation for a most worthy performance. Previously deemed demigod of everything musically holy and good (by none other than Philip Martin himself), Chris Denny is really beginning to create quite a buzz, at least regionally if not yet on a national level. The band will be performing at the Austin City Music Festival in September, and their live performances never leave you feeling short-changed.
Nearing the end of the show, Denny turned the reins over to the local legendary rocker of Parachute Woman fame, Michael Goodrich, who combined with lead guitarist Judson Spillyard for a lengthy and high-energy version of the classic Kansas City. It was very entertaining, but while Trini Lopez found “crazy little women” in KC back in the sixties, Goodrich apparently has found, in his words, “funky smelling women”, which is a bit disconcerting, at least for me, not to mention the potential effect upon the upstanding citizenry of that fair city.
All in all, it was another night to remember, and that’s something that seems to be occurring more and more around town. A special shout out to Matt White for continuing to bring in some great talent and props to Brandon for his aid in kind at the Thursday night gig.
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