“Sophisticated” might not be the word that comes to mind when you think of a weekend show at the Great Scott, but a New York based, piano/violin combo called Gracie and Rachel opened for Holly Miranda on Saturday, delivering sweetly sophisticated tunes to the Allston venue.
Kicking off their opening set with “Sing Song,” a tune that indulged the use of voice as instrument, Gracie Coates and Rachel Ruggles immediately enraptured those in attendance on Saturday, evoking sounds that might be similar to an orchestral Meg & Dia. Skilled violin work and barely-there harmonies from Ruggles accompanied Coates’ belting, trained vocals as the two collaborated on rich, sweeping songs like “(Un)comfortable” – a track about self-expression on the stage. Their 2014 single, “Go,” created a certain sense of anticipation among the audience, with Ruggles plucking wildly, but decidedly, at her strings, and Coates producing vocals that brought to mind a haunted Regina Spektor.
As naturally as light balances dark, so did Gracie and Rachel balance their experimental yet classical creation of orchestral goth pop. And the duo certainly dressed the part, Coates in all-white, Ruggles all in black save her fading lavender cropped hair, making lyrics like “Blonde hair, blue eyes // violin and black and white” from “Tiptoe” seem purposefully on-the-nose. Backed up by simple, though necessary, bold percussion, Gracie and Rachel found a musical middle ground that ranged somewhere between vulnerable and professional, but definitely provided a fitting segue for the headliner.
It’s been five years since the release of her debut LP, but a half-decade pause didn’t seem to faze Holly Miranda as she walked out onto Great Scott’s small stage, sporting an aesthetic that could only be classified as “John Candy on vacation,” and a sly smile meant only for the band members behind her. With a tour dubbed the “Fuck in the Sun Tour,” Miranda seemed more than ready to dive right into her headlining set, backed by baritone-sax player Maria Eisen, Sharron Sulami on bass, guitarist Jeremy Wilms and drummer Dylan Fusillo.
Peeking out from behind familiar chopped bangs, the singer-songwriter and guitarist pianist finally opened the set with tender tracks from her newest eponymous record, including a smiley, impassioned rendition of the LP’s single, “All I Want Is To Be Your Girl.” With a voice that’s simultaneously delicate and powerful, Holly Miranda is an artist whose live performance changes the game entirely. What might come off as trite on the album, when played live is fully-formed and soulful in part because her backing band, playing in perfect unison while remaining understatedly distinguished, killed it. The sax solo on “Hymnal” was particularly out of this world. And it’s rare to find an artist that can, in one moment, turn it all the way up with deep belting notes in “Desert Call,” hit falsetto after falsetto in “Mark My Words,” and then ease back down with “Until Now.” She did this with a controlled but playful attitude, all the while slaying on keyboard and electric guitar — of which she is self-taught. On top of this, Miranda is fully aware and confident in her talent, promising the audience that they’d shed a single tear, “like Johnny Depp in Crybaby,” most notably during her rendition of “Everlasting.”
Not only did Miranda prove that she’s back in a big way by delivering honest, practiced versions of her new tracks, she reminded us that she’s still an ex-evangelical from Detroit, and she won’t be forgetting her bluesy roots anytime soon. After paying tribute to deceased songwriter Lhasa de Sela with a cover of her tune called “Fools Gold,” Miranda took us back to 2010 and closed the show by playing “Waves,” and “Joints,” in full force. And as different as The Magician’s Private Library is from her newest self-titled record, Saturday’s setlist at once unified the two albums and shined a light on the raw progress veteran performer Holly Miranda has made with her new LP.