My Brightest Diamond

Opening show- Rabbit Rabbit.

Chanced upon The Crocodile's gigs for the month and we were able to pop into My Brightest Diamond. Then checked her tour schedule; I'd rather watch her in Seattle than in Los Angeles. Was pretty curious about opening band Rabbit Rabbit. Great crowd. It was a packed club right from the start. People came to listen to the opening band. Very nice.

First, we heard Rabbit Rabbit. It's husband and wife duo Carla Kihlstedt on vocals and violin, and Matthias Bossi on drums. In this show, Michael Harrison accompanied them on guitar. Their 2013 debut album is titled 'Rabbit Rabbit Radio - Vol 1'. They recently released 'Rabbit Rabbit Radio Vol.2 Swallow Me'. The albums comprise songs released to subscribers on the first of each month. Kinda like the English superstition of saying "Rabbit rabbit" or "Rabbits" once you wake on the first of each new month to ensure good luck for the next 30 or 31 days. Heh. Vol. 3 has just been concluded, featuring Nels Cline in its final song 'Rabbit Rondo'.



My Brightest Diamond came on at 10.45pm. What a long wait. We got there at 8.05pm and had to wait till 850pm before the opening act came on. Then waited some more for a switchover which wasn't much because the stage was all set up already. Really dislike the waiting-around at gigs. An utter waste of time. Thought gigs at The Crocodile would begin and end earlier. But since it was a weekend, I guess timings got shifted later. The whole ended at about 11.45pm.

Anyway. Lovely to hear Shara Worden's vocals again. We last heard her at Esplanade's Mosaic in March 2013. She hasn't had a new album for a while; since 2008, methinks. It's good to hear her new album 'This Is My Hand' released in September 2014. The audience already started grooving and moving to her beats. She shared Portland's dance moves to title song 'This Is My Hand'. Mentioned something about land-based synchronized swimming group and now experimental dance collective, The Olivia Darlings, in the Portland crowd doing those moves.

Love Shara Worden's voice and her wide range of musical styles. Such a talented musician. This show also saw Christopher Bruce on bass and Earl Harvin on drums. She ended the night with an edgy cover of Ella Fitzgerald's 'Fever'.

My Brightest Diamond.