Folk Hero

This past Tuesday, I headed down on a rainy night to see Basia Bulat at the Phoenix. Unfortunately, she wasn't the head-liner so it was a shortened set. I was hoping to see her with the full band so I was slightly disappointed when she came on-stage alone. But she was her usual vibrant self and won over a number of people in the crowd. In addition to her hits such as "In the Night" and "The Shore", she tried out 2 new songs, one on a new musical instrument the ukelin (a cross between a mandolin and a ukulele). She also sang a Polish song popular in the 1960s Communist Poland called In The Green Zoo - about 2 lovers who visit a zoo and at the end don't know if it's them watching the animals or have the animals come to see them (nice political subtext). Listen for "Hippopotame" and other animal names, if you know them in Polish :)

At the end of the show, I chatted with Basia for a bit. She will do a full band show in the New Year as well as release 2 CDs - her 3rd album and an all Polish CD. I didn't ask her if it will be only Polish cover songs or will include original composition. I suggested that she should do a Polish song with Olenka. As it turns out, they know each other quite well. I gave her a Polish fudge candy called krówka, given to me by a Polish co-worker. She seemed to like it ok, except that when I got home I realized that this candy has been sitting on my desk for more than a month. I gave Basia stale candy!

The head-liner was Josh Ritter. In older photos, with his scruffy beard, he looks like a young Bob Dylan. Now clean-shaven, he resembles John Mellencamp/Opie. Like these two singers, he writes long, lyrical songs that can be best described as Americana although he does delve into Egyptian mummies and Arthurian knights. He is also a tireless and enthusiastic performer, putting in two solid hours with nary a pause between songs.

I was struck by the audience who cheered as loudly and sing along as lustily for such songs as Kathleen, Harrisburg, The Temptation of Adam as if they were the most anthemic of rock songs by U2 or Bon Jovi. I'd be tempted to say they are older small-town folks like the woman next to me who drove down from Thunderbay. But in fact it was mostly young 20-something in the crowd. They all seemed very earnest and non-ironical - the only hipsters (or at least hipster-esque people) around were to be found on stage: the drummer in a tight-fitting suit, the pianist with his scruffy Ross Geller look, and the bassist with curly Salvador Dali mustache.

I enjoyed the performance although personally most of these long ballad with "AABB" rhyming didn't resonate emotionally with me. However, I did connect with Change Of Time, Lantern, In The Dark (which was sung with all the house lights turned off and un-miked), and Southern Pacifica. Hmm, 3 of those songs are on the new album So Runs The World Away. Maybe I should have bought it. Off to the record store!