Who's Afraid Of An Inch Or Six Of Snow?

or screw you February. I'm going to see Sondre Lerche

Okay, so last Friday the snow fall was supposed to stop by 1pm. It did...for about two hours, then it came back with a wicked vengeance. That omnipresent white shit fell so steadily and heavily that it felt like you were standing in the middle of a freaking snow globe. Seriously.

It was very slow going on roads that were coated with at least four inches of the blasted flaky stuff. So naturally I ventured out to meet friends, Sheila and Tim, and head to our favorite little night spot of which I've spoken ad naseum, Club Cafe.

Why would I venture out in such an inhospitable evening?

See here's the thing... I have been wanting to see Norwegian songwriter, Sondre Lerche ever since I heard him interviewed by WYEP's Rosemary Welsh.

That was six years ago.

Six years. I've waited six whole years to watch him perform, and I can tell you no snow storm was going to stop me from seeing him. Six years...Six inches of snow. Pffft! No contest.

So off we crawled through February's latest punch in the gut, mired in a line of traffic that went on for miles. It felt like we'd never get there. There was actually a split second when I questioned the wisdom of traveling in such conditions, but once this diminutive figure took the stage all doubts were washed away.

He was brilliant! High energy, strong, clear voice, and he absolutely shredded that electric gee-tar. There was a lot of power pouring out of that little frame. I honestly didn't expect such a passionate performance from him.

He charmed the audience with his banter between a set of old and new tunes. At one point he paused, contemplating what he should play next. That's when I shouted for an older favorite of mine-"On the Tower"-which he graciously agreed to sing even though he hasn't sung that particular tune for years. Here he is butchering the lyrics:

Look how cute he is about it. I don't know why, but I love when performers kinda tank the lyrics to their songs. It allows them to let down their guard and be a little vulnerable, more human. If forces them to trust their audience to not dick them. I have never been to a show where the crowd wasn't 100% behind the singer when he was less than perfect. In fact I think they get more support for putting it out there.

For the third time at this club, the artist exposed the sham of the encore. Once again, Sondre, much like Bell X1 and Mike Doughty before him, decided to dispense with the drama of walking off stage and waiting for us to beg for his return, in favor of just telling us the next songs are his official encore.

His honesty was rewarded with one of the all-time best audience sing-alongs to the delightful "Modern Nature". The girls in the crowd inspired him to switch from electric to acoustic and go completely unplugged.

Isn't that great? What a lovely way to end the evening. Our hearts remained buoyant as we made our way through the never ending falling snow. It was well worth the journey.

AND get this...Sondre Lerche's going to be playing a gig or two at SXSW this year, so I get to witness his talents again! Umm...that is if I can navigate through that craziness and find the party.

Did I mention I'm going to the megalomaniacal uber monster music fest SXSW? Well, I am. Yes. Wilma Flintstone is jumping into the shallow waters head first. My noggin is already spinning off its axis.

Pray for me.

Anywho, here are a couple more songs from that grand evening.

Two Way Monologue

No One's Gonna Come

Carrying This Torch For You (?)

Oh, and uh...sorry about the ambush there, Sondre. Sheila made me do it.