Spell-singer

Saturday night, I headed over to The Drake Hotel. It looked like they did some renovation over the pandemic. But I wasn't there for dinner but to head to The Drake Underground venue for some live music. I don't like the new TicketMaster SafeTix app because I have to bring my tablet. This was my first concert needing the app but it turns out the person at doors merely looked at my screen and didn't bother with any scan. So screw you TM and your "secure" solution!

I was there halfway through a DJ set. The crowd grew when Witch Prophet took the stage. Since last time, she has received a Polaris nomination. Tonight, in addition her DJ/hypewoman DJ Sun Sun, Ms. Leilani also enlisted drummer Cola from The OBGMs. He added a lot of muscular rhythm to Sun's beats.

Most songwriters draw from their personal experiences, but Leilani's stories preceding the songs gave more details. Manifest came from a desire for the Ethiopian-Eritrean conflict to end (given that she comes from both heritage). In fact it did in 2017 after her song came out, but given the current civil war, Witch Prophet concluded that all magic must be renewed. Pearly Gates was a response to her relatives' religious judgment about her being pregnant (at 18), then gay, and now a pagan witch. And Energy Vampires (with an appearance by collaborator DillanPonders) were frightening spectres she sees during her temporal lobe seizures.

It wasn't all fraught topics though. Tesfaye was about her stylish and impeccably-dressed grandfather. Makda was both for her sister (of the name) and the Queen of Sheba. Finally, Love Shock was the first song she wrote for a "love at first sight" encounter. After Leilani sang it to her love interest, they moved in the same day, and have been together for 13 years (i.e., DJ Sun Sun). The queer crowd cheered when Witch Prophet explained that "that's what lesbians do".

It was a fun show with a lot of swagger and rhythm. Two minor criticisms: with a camera crew set up near the front, it kept the crowd from moving closer to the stage. Secondly, Witch Prophet used looping to layer her vocals. But whenever she ended a song by abruptly stopping the playback, it felt amateurish.