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I'd
heard a fair bit about Oh Susanna, have a couple of her
albums in my collection in fact, and noted that she was getting
some serious attention North of the Border with a nomination this
year for a Juno Award for best roots/traditional album. It was
a surprise, then, to get a call from Nettwerk while on a business
trip to California asking if I knew of any NYC venues where Suzie
could play a gig or two.
Fortunately,
local canuck Chris Brown was already on the case and in short
order a 3-gig mini tour had been lined up with appearances at
Café 111, Pete's Candy Store and the Living Room. Of course,
I did the groupie thing and went to hang at all three.
While
the sound on her latest self-titled CD heads in a full-band alt-country-rocking
direction, the songs take on a new life when played live and solo,
not least as they were accompanied by annotations not found in
the CD liner notes. The song "Billy," for instance -
about a dead drug addict lover - was based on a true story, except
for the ending: "I decided to kill him off in the song,"
she admitted.
Check
out www.ohsusannamusic.com
for the videos and audio of her superb singles "Right By
Your Side" and "Carrie Lee." But above all, make
a date to see her live and unplugged for the real deal, and the
real story.
~~~~~
 The
first time I saw Nikki & Dara play was at the Orange
Bear, a decaying bar near to Ground Zero in NYC, which is frequented
mainly by drunken construction workers whose idea of a classy
joint is Hooters. No way, I thought, were the two girls on stage
in front of an audience of about five, going to be any good. But
they weren't bad at all, so I picked up a copy of their demo CD
and made a note to go see them again.
Quite
a few more gigs followed, in fact, including last year's WOMANROCK
holiday party. And each time, these two just seem to get better
and better, and the audiences bigger and bigger. There's not only
the addition of a band, and new songs and new arrangements, but
also an increasing confidence that shows through in their upbeat
performances.
Twin
sisters originally from California, they play "chick rock"
tunes that don't turn the stomach the way that the manufactured
acts do. Within the combo, Dara is the principal songwriter and
plays acoustic, adding her vocals to Nikki's strong lead voice
and stage presence (which is underpinned by her theatrical training).
And there's something about the chemistry between the two that
gives their shows an added twist. It's clear that while they are
taking their musical baby steps seriously, they are also intent
on having lots of fun. Go to www.nikkianddara.com
to find out how to join in.
Buy
Nikki & Dara's CD "Test Drive" at the MusicShop
~~~~~
 Unlike
Nikki & Dara, or even Oh Susanna, I've hardly seen Sirsy
play live at all. But I did manage to catch half of their set
at a recent Local Music Now showcase at Tribeca Rock Club. And,
errr, wow. I mean, WOW!
Fronted
by Melanie Krahmer (on flute as well as vocals), Sirsy are a four-piece
funky rock group hailing from NY state. What they share with Nikki
& Dara is that while their music is radio friendly, and their
looks are eye-friendly, the material is actually really good.
Like pop songs used to be before MTV.
A
winner in 2002 of the Battle of the Bands at CBGBs, through a
constant touring schedule they have grown a sizeable fan base
- as evidenced by the sell out at the Tribeca show. As well as
a busy live calendar, Sirsy have also managed to produce four
CDs - their latest, Ruby, being released this May. Buy it and
go see them. I'm going to! Find out more about Sirsy at www.sirsy.com.
Buy "Ruby" in the MusicShop
Photo
of Nikki & Dara courtesy of www.mebeeb.com.
Pete
Harris founded Harris Radio as a response to the music
being played on corporate-controlled mainstream radio. He is also
a partner in WOMANROCK. Check out Scene and Heard artists on www.harrisradio.com.
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