Who: Chris Trapper with Kristin Cifelli
When: October 28, 2011
Where: Ninth Ward/ Buffalo, NY
With: Hillary
Of Note: fun acoustic show!
My (new) friend Hillary is obsessed with Chris Trapper. She is a super fan. I can appreciate that, having some musical obsessions of my own. She has talked about Chris a ton and when she said that he was coming to town and invited me along, I was more than happy to accompany her. Especially because Hillary is fun, funny and super duper nice.
I'd never been to Ninth Ward, but it's a beautiful performance space. Ani DiFranco converted an old church; the building is stunning from the outside. The concert was in the basement, a really chill and intimate venue for a concert.
Kristin Cefelli opened. Her voice...was incredible. It has a really unique timbre with almost a haunting quality to it. It was just her and her guitar, but she definitely filled the space. The refrain of the first song she played talked about faking it until you make it, I think in terms of happiness. (Hey internet - get on posting Kristin Cefelli lyrics and set lists!) I could relate. She played a variety of songs from her new album and noted that, for some reason, she kept relating relationships to natural disasters. Alright then.
The song 'Fault Line' was particularly memorable; it had a bigger pinnacle than some of her other tunes. I joked with Hillary that most of what Kristin sang was music I could picture sitting in a dark room and sobbing my eyes out to. That's not to say it wasn't good; it was. But, between the mellow vibe, the often lovesick lyrics and the interesting phrasing choices, it was just really intensely emotional.
(I also appreciated Kristin's sartorial choice of lace skirt and combat boots; it's been all over the fashion blogs recently.)
When Chris took the stage, he certainly had command of the room. His was also a "me & my guitar" set, though Krisin provided guest vocals on a couple of songs. His voice put him firmly in the "dreamboat" end of the musical spectrum and he was good at stage banter, telling funny stories as song transitions. Though, he could have shifted the proportion of "funny/random" stories and "self-deprecating" stories to skew less self-deprecating. Like, dude, you do this for a living. Quit joking about not deserving it or not believing people let you do it.
I found the majority of Chris' songs charming. The only issue I had with the set was the whiplash I got from his rapidly switching styles. At the end of the night, I couldn't tell if when I go buy his album whether I'm going to get a gut-wrenching emotional singer/song-writer a la Damien Rice or a comedy acoustic show like the Pachelbel's Rant guy. To that end, I remember more specifics about the funny songs: 'Not Normal', 'Boston Girl', and 'Birthday Song' were all a good time. There was no questioning the emotion behind any of his work, though. And, the songs that Kristin joined him for were excellent. The voices had an excellent blend.
Overall, this show was a good way to spend a Friday night in Buffalo. Checking out more music by both Cifelli and Trapper is on my list of things to do.
When: October 28, 2011
Where: Ninth Ward/ Buffalo, NY
With: Hillary
Of Note: fun acoustic show!
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| From Remembering the Encores |
My (new) friend Hillary is obsessed with Chris Trapper. She is a super fan. I can appreciate that, having some musical obsessions of my own. She has talked about Chris a ton and when she said that he was coming to town and invited me along, I was more than happy to accompany her. Especially because Hillary is fun, funny and super duper nice.
I'd never been to Ninth Ward, but it's a beautiful performance space. Ani DiFranco converted an old church; the building is stunning from the outside. The concert was in the basement, a really chill and intimate venue for a concert.
Kristin Cefelli opened. Her voice...was incredible. It has a really unique timbre with almost a haunting quality to it. It was just her and her guitar, but she definitely filled the space. The refrain of the first song she played talked about faking it until you make it, I think in terms of happiness. (Hey internet - get on posting Kristin Cefelli lyrics and set lists!) I could relate. She played a variety of songs from her new album and noted that, for some reason, she kept relating relationships to natural disasters. Alright then.
The song 'Fault Line' was particularly memorable; it had a bigger pinnacle than some of her other tunes. I joked with Hillary that most of what Kristin sang was music I could picture sitting in a dark room and sobbing my eyes out to. That's not to say it wasn't good; it was. But, between the mellow vibe, the often lovesick lyrics and the interesting phrasing choices, it was just really intensely emotional.
(I also appreciated Kristin's sartorial choice of lace skirt and combat boots; it's been all over the fashion blogs recently.)
When Chris took the stage, he certainly had command of the room. His was also a "me & my guitar" set, though Krisin provided guest vocals on a couple of songs. His voice put him firmly in the "dreamboat" end of the musical spectrum and he was good at stage banter, telling funny stories as song transitions. Though, he could have shifted the proportion of "funny/random" stories and "self-deprecating" stories to skew less self-deprecating. Like, dude, you do this for a living. Quit joking about not deserving it or not believing people let you do it.
I found the majority of Chris' songs charming. The only issue I had with the set was the whiplash I got from his rapidly switching styles. At the end of the night, I couldn't tell if when I go buy his album whether I'm going to get a gut-wrenching emotional singer/song-writer a la Damien Rice or a comedy acoustic show like the Pachelbel's Rant guy. To that end, I remember more specifics about the funny songs: 'Not Normal', 'Boston Girl', and 'Birthday Song' were all a good time. There was no questioning the emotion behind any of his work, though. And, the songs that Kristin joined him for were excellent. The voices had an excellent blend.
Overall, this show was a good way to spend a Friday night in Buffalo. Checking out more music by both Cifelli and Trapper is on my list of things to do.
I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DON'T KNOW I LOVE CHRIS TRAPPER OMGGGGGGGGGGGGG
ReplyDeleteI'M SO GLAD YOU WENNNNNNTTT
I'VE SEEN HIM 3 TIMES? OR SO.
TELL HILLARY SHE IS GREAT.
Which album did you buy?