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March 12th, 2007 @ Bongo Java, Upstairs—SARAH SISKIND w/ Lex Price Sarah Siskind was a featured artist Monday night at Bongo Java After Hours for puremusic.com's recent series of filmed live shows. These filmed shows are short sets, but they are the most intimate performances I have ever experienced. Only about 25 people can squeeze into this tiny space, the television lights are bright, and the artists must keep the volume levels down. Consequently, during these 35 minute sets, the artists are literally under a microscope. These are tough circumstances for any veteran musician. Yet Siskind's non-anxious presence in this environment highlighted the comfort she appears to have with herself and her music. For those not familiar with Siskind, the following quotation is completely on the mark: “(Her) songs and her arrangements manage to evoke classical art songs, Celtic balladry, torchy late-night jazz, hippie-era folk music and the uptown avant-garde in equal measure, while coalescing into something entirely new and transcendentally beautiful” (Craig Havighurst, The Tennessean). Siskind elegantly delivered all of the above in this live performance. A special treat was the addition of producer/guitarist/mandolinist Lex Price. Price accompanied Siskind on electric guitar, providing soft, ambient roots guitar riffs reminiscent of Daniel Lanois's solo efforts and production work on U2's The Unforgettable Fire. To be sure, Price has recently been leaving his mark on many new outstanding Nashville-based artists' studio efforts, most notably Mindy Smith's recent Long Island Shores. Siskind's Celtic flavored mountain music bathed in Price's ambient modern guitar-work was (and is) a combination that should result in future success comparable to the likes of singer/songwriter Gillian Welch and producer Daniel Lanois. Siskind's upcoming Basement performance on March 28, 2007 promises to be one of those "I was there" events. Don't miss it.
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