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I was admittedly not too familiar with San Francisco-by-way-of-Portland, OR artist Mirah, having only heard her lo-fi 2008 odds ‘n’ sods collection of pre-first album songs, The Old Days Feeling. But her soft-spoken yet emotive voice and frank, intimate lyrics made an impact. So when I heard she was finally playing a show in our neck of the woods, I decided to make the two-river trek from New Jersey to Williamsburg to check her out. As it turns out, I was not alone. The cozy Glasslands, tucked on a deserted side street of old warehouse spaces along the East River, was packed almost to capacity when I arrived.
Mirah was backed by the dazzling ex-Nirvana/Black Cat Orchestra cellist Lori Goldston (who played on Nirvana’s 1994 MTV Unplugged in New York) and distinctive percussionist/accordionist Geo Wyeth. Goldston and Wyeth augmented Mirah’s pretty, uncomplicated acoustic songs with eclectic and haunting arrangements. In particular, Goldston’s deep, dark tones, impeccably captured by the venue’s sympathetic soundman, often sent chills up my spine. The normally chatty Brooklyn crowd, seemingly filled with Mirah diehards, was held spellbound – at times you could almost hear a pin drop. This was especially true on the brief interlude midway, when Mirah put aside her guitar and sang a few numbers from her 2007 LP Share This Place, a collaboration she did with Goldston’s ensemble Spectratone International. With Mirah’s engaging singing and whimsical lyrics inspired by the life cycle of insects, these songs sounded almost like a cross between The Decemberists and Rasputina. They were just one highlight of this delightful, low-key show.
Mirah remarked at the start of the night that she was now a “part-time New York resident.” Hopefully that means we won’t have to wait too long for her to play some more shows around these parts.
