Is There Time Enough?

Saturday at The Baby G, two tiny women put on big shows. First up was Language-Arts fronted by Kristen Cudmore. Their set was a combination of dense lyrics with noisy prog-rock/jazz influences. This was the first time I saw Cudmore's dog Sprout at a show, though she has a song dedicated to him. Luckily, he had on a pair of doggy head-phones to keep the volume down.

Anne Douris of Bossie really went all out for the release of her debut album. The stage was decorated with huge props including giant comb and lipsticks. At one point, dancers dressed as lipsticks did a choreograph routine. Her sound, an updated take on 80s bubble-gum pop had plenty of fun hooks. She also did some great covers including The Sailor Moon theme and 9 to 5. Douris had great crowd-pleasing sing alongs including Meteor and the even catchier There Will Be Time.

The crowd was much smaller than her debut at Smiling Buddha when they packed to see her based on coverage from sites like Now Magazine and Stereogum. I've been thinking about what makes a band break out (Alvvays, Charlotte Day Wilson) and the rest who never get any traction. The factors could be as varied as each success story, but it seems that the ones that do so nowadays tend to move quickly, within 1-2 years of getting that first buzz. If true, the 3 year between Meteor and this album might have been too long. So despite her musical talent and physical attractiveness, a bonus for mainstream success, Bossie may have missed her chance.