Annamaya Kosha

Monday night at The Burdock, Maya Killtron had two shows. I skipped the earlier show for the kids and arrived there for the 9 pm one. Since it was being recorded live, 6 pro-am cameras were set up throughout the small venue. It wasn't a large crowd so there was still seating for everyone.

It was an odd show overall. There seemed to be a disconnect between performers and audience that never resolved. It was a short set of 7 songs: 2 originals (Middle from the upcoming Fired Up EP, Red Dress from the Never Dance Alone album) and 5 covers: Stay (Rihanna), Because You Loved Me (Celine Dion), Dancing On My Own (Robyn), a 70s mash-up of What A Fool Believes, and a short outro taken from Romeo + Juliet (Everybody's Free To Feel Good). Yet the show ran more than one hour because she told a number of stories and asides between numbers. They were often rambling and sometimes polemical. Definitely the kind of musings between an artist and her fans and friends or family. But with only half the audience being at that level of familiarity, the response was often silence. Killtron's natural wit, amply on display at her last show, did generate a few laughs. But I think she also felt that distance tonight.

Backed by a string quintet, as well as playing her violin, Maya Killtron wielded a strong voice over some interesting arrangements. I still liked this juxtaposition of classical versus pop but not quite as much as last time. My recent show with Mingjia has whetted my appetite for some truly innovative "chamber pop".