11 o’clock, the stage lights turn off. The crowd at TT the Bear’s is bathed in darkness. Whispers arise from the audience regarding the possible power outage and the fact that we can feel the rumble of bass beneath our feet from the show at Middle East Downstairs. After standing in the dark for what seems like forever, we see Lady Lamb the Beekeeper take the stage. Aly Spaltro, known by her stage moniker Lady Lamb, stands in the dark belting out a passionate opening song a cappella. As she sings, we forget that we’re in the dark, the bass growling from below; the only thing that exists is Lady Lamb’s deep, soulful voice and her words. It’s a shock when the lights come on halfway through her song “Bird Balloons,” and we see Spaltro’s petite frame, barely bigger than her guitar.
Two hours before Lady Lamb propelled us into her powerful and intimate set, Cuddle Magic took the stage. Cuddle Magic, a chamber pop band out of Brooklyn, consists of six members–a little absurd on TT’s small stage. Their intricately crafted pop songs are full of harmonies, keyboards, and percussion (think Sufjan Stevens). Ben Davis (vocals, bass) and Christopher McDonald (keyboard) started the band while at the New England Conservatory of Music and have since recruited Alec Spiegelman (clarinet, saxophone), Cole Kamen-Green (trumpet), Kristin Slipp (vocals, xylophone), and David Flaherty (drums). Cuddle Magic is seasoned, currently working on a fourth album, but the band members are still able to capture the excitement and spontaneity of friends that just started jamming together.
Following Cuddle Magic, Xenia Rubinos, decked out in technicolor 80s garb, burst onto the stage. Yet another artist out of Brooklyn (can indie music come from anywhere else?), Xenia Rubinos and her drummer, Marco Buccelli, combine Xenia’s powerful voice with Caribbean rhythms and spastic synths. While their pairing of keys and drum can be compared to synth-pop groups (think Matt&Kim), Xenia Rubinos is more similar to the edgy St. Vincent or Tune-Yards; she embraces the bombastic nature of her music and doesn’t shy away from seemingly abrasive sounds. While Xenia Rubinos creates unconventional, yet energetic music, she was missing the catchy hooks and danceability that other similar bands offer.
The show was part of Lady Lamb’s album release tour for Ripley Pine, released via Ba Da Bing Records. The album dropped last week and is packed full of Spaltro’s original folk sound, but now features a full band made up of her friends. The studio-recorded album is a huge step from the tapes she made in her bedroom, but manages to maintain the same warm quality. While Spaltro sticks to her folk roots, the songs swing from somber to energetic to straight-up rocking.
Lady Lamb sold out TT the Bear’s this past Saturday, one of her favorite venues in Boston. She chose the venue for her album release tour because of its sentimental value, it being one of the first venues she ever played. The large turnout attests to Spaltro’s ability to work a crowd. Her five years of performing has made her a confident front woman, especially considering she spent the majority of the concert playing solo armed only with a guitar or banjo. Xenia Rubinos, Marco Buccelli, Cuddle Magic, and a string ensemble formed a rotating back-up band for different intervals throughout the set; however, the most notable guest was her father, who flew in from Texas to play guitar.
The greatest thing about Spaltro is her ability to make us feel that we are attending a show in our best friend’s house. The combination of her passionate songs, her jokes (“I think I could probably open for Jack White”), and her candor with the audience gave us the feeling that we were amongst friends. When Lady Lamb the Beekeeper announced her last song, there was a chorus of sad “aww”s, but she assured all her new friends that she would talk to everyone after the show.
Photo Credit: Graham Zinger