Venue: Tractor Tavern - Seattle, WA
Date: December 5, 2007
Opener: Joy Mills
Eilen Jewell and her band live in concert, with opener Joy Mills
Frankly, I've been a bit surprised since it was released that Eilen Jewell's Letters From Sinners and Strangers (Signature Sounds) CD hasn't made more waves in the music industry. Recently, local independent radio (something there is quite a bit of in Seattle) has started to cotton to the album. But, for whatever reason, that still wasn't enough to drive a packed house out to Seattle's folk-friendly Ballard neighborhood for Jewell's recent performance.Jewell, however, proved that you don't need a seriously packed house to put on a great show. Clearly no stranger to the odd moods of bar crowds, she even took some time to participate in a question-and-answer segment after some guy in the back yelled out, "I've got a question."
Highlights of the Show
When not personably interacting with the crowd, though, she and her band alternated between songs from her debut, Boundary County, this year's Sinners and Strangers and a diverse array of cover tunes. Among them: and excellent tongue-in-cheek rendition of Loretta Lynn's "Fist City," Eric Andersen's "Dusty Boxcar Wall," and the Carter Family's "Little Darling Pal o' Mine."With a voice that calls to mind Patsy Cline, Neko Case and even, at times, fellow New Englander Kris Delmhorst, Eilen Jewell is backed by a tight band, held together particularly well by exquisite electric guitar solos from Jerry Miller. Some songs sound a little Dylanesque, while others are good, old-fashioned down-home country, but mostly they linger stylistically, somewhere in-between.
Eilen Jewell's Band
Together, Miller, drummer Jason Beek and upright bassist Johnny Sciascia form swelling, bouncing landscapes that occasionally give way to instrumentation that's slow, sad and lonely. All of this serves a splendid accompaniment to the extremes of Jewell's compositions, as well as her covers, proving it's only a matter of time before people catch on to her gift.Eilen Jewell is on tour now. Visit her Web site for more info and tour dates.
