Hello everybody.
Well you never quite know what to expect from an artist who’s as, well, artistic as Rickie Lee Jones, and our Studio A2 on the Road at Borders with her on Feb. 20 certainly proved that!
Rickie and two members of her band took the stage to wild applause, but then Rickie professed to have forgotten the chord to every song she’d ever written. It was strangely comforting to know that even a musician as experienced as her could still have a bad case of stage fright.
After receiving a quick tutorial from her bandmates about the chords to the first song, she then launched into “Nobody Knows My Name” off of her new release “The Sermon On Exposition Boulevard” and everything was fantastic after that. She played another 3 songs from the album, spiced with anecdotes between tunes, then signed tons of the new CD afterward for her adoring fans.
I went to the Majestic later that night to see her full-length concert, where she played a mesmerizing hour-and-a-half set filled with old classics (“Coolsville,” “Last Chance Texaco”) as well as new material. It was quite an amazing day with a truly unique musical visionary.
Look for our next Studio A2 on the Road at 12:30pm on March 6 at the Liberty St. Borders in A2, when Ann Arbor’s 107one presents Paolo Nutini performing live – he’s the guy behind that new hit single “New Shoes.”
Lots of great music to recommend to you that’s just come out, including “West” by Lucinda Williams, “Children Running Through” by Patty Griffin, that new Rickie Lee Jones, of course, plus ex-Luna members Dean & Britta’s “Back Number,” and last but not least, “Country Ghetto,” from a soulful bunch of guys from Florida, JJ Grey and Mofro.
Best,
Martin
