After regretfully missing the Tuesday night performance of Miss Kristy Kruger, I decided to make up for it as she and Dylan Sneed opened for Danny Malone at Whitewater. The first thing I read about Kristy was that she was deemed the “female Tom Waits” by a Dallas (her hometown) newspaper reporter. I was immediately intrigued.
As I wandered into a surprisingly empty Whitewater around 10:00 pm, I immediately noticed her setting up her pedal steel and my heart jumped a little. Her influences range from an obvious, although healthy, obsession with Johnny Cash, to Ella Fitzgerald and Bessie Smith. Kristy has this kind of soft throaty, warble-y voice that, when you close your eyes, you can swear is coming straight off your vintage record player. She reminds me of 1930s French vocalist and icon Edith Piaf with a small dose of Regina Spektor in her high notes. She is more than comparable to Tom Waits in her songwriting and presentation. When she pulled out her banjo and strummed “Little Pollyanna”, I was enamored. Not only can she strum and pick beautifully, she even busted out the kazoo and it STILL managed to stir me. Her songs took me back to a time when dresses were twirled and men wore fedoras and sat back watching the ladies move about. Not to say that Dylan Sneed paled in comparison, he was really great, but he was more than overshadowed by the presence of Kruger. You just can’t not listen to her and be intertwined with her words. Listen to her latest album, Songs From a Dead Man’s Couch, and I promise you’ll wish you had it on vinyl too.
Next up was a duo I’d seen before, Danny Malone with Heidi Johnson on the keys. I definitely enjoyed them when I saw them previously this summer, and thought Heidi’s voice, talent and look brought a presence to the stage that is sometimes missing with folksy rock singers like Danny. This time, not only was Danny on his game (proudly wearing his “The Danimal” t-shirt), but they were joined by the American Princes’ stellar drum master, Matt Quin. With only a single tom, kick drum, and a few cymbals, Matt managed to up the ante on their already skillful sound. With this addition of a livelier beat, Danny Malone and friends more than impressed me. I was up dancing within five seconds of the first song, and didn’t take a seat the entire time. Danny’s bright voice reminds me of someone I can’t put my finger on, which probably serves him well. But his steady strumming and funky beats remind me of a crazy mix of Spoon and The Shins. And although Heidi and Danny have only been playing together for a short time, the way they harmonize is so effortless you would think they’d been doing it forever. And that’s a good thing. It wasn’t stale, it wasn’t cliché; it was fresh and enthusiastic. And I more than look forward to their return.
www.myspace.com/kristykruger
www.myspace.com/therealdannymalone
-Shuffles
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