Gypsy Child

There was a downpour Saturday night, but The Mod Club had a packed house from country singer Lindi Ortega. First up was another local, Sam Cash, but without his band The Romantic Dogs. Interesting that Cash noted that his song Talk To Me came about because he was trying to write a "Tom Petty" song. This was the vibe I got from his set. In fact, he wryly noted that an online commenter had criticized his simple rhyming schemes. With most of his life taken place in booze joints: plays in bars, goes to bars, works in bars, numbers like Remedy and Marquee came from those experiences.

Though Ortega has moved to Nashville, a homecoming show is always special to her. Tonight, her folks were beaming down from the side balcony. Meanwhile, the full crowd was a mix of suburbanites, city cowboys, and tattoed hipsters. With a 20-song set (including encore), Ortega covered most of the songs off her new album including Ashes and the titular Faded Gloryville along with plenty of old favourites like Heaven Don't Have No Vacancy and Cigarettes & Truckstops. As evident in their titles, her music has a melancholic feel, evoking that old country sound, and perfectly complemented by the wavery tremolo in her voice. But with the bag of guitar tricks of "Champagne" James Robertson, there were plenty of boot-stomping jams too (I Ain't The Girl, Run Amuck, The Day You Die). A full band was a nice addition compared to her more stripped down show at The Great Hall. But honestly, Ortega and Robertson provided all the talent you'd want.

I spent half of the set front-row centre and the second half a bit further back and to the side. The problem was that the sound system at this venue are made for thumping club music. So near the front, I was up-close to Ortega (and her signature red boots) but could barely hear her. It was still not a perfect mix away from the stage but her big vocals were more audible.