Jolie Holland

at Jammin Java, 7/15/2006

Jolie Holland rules. This show was so damn good. I'm soooo glad I made the trip out to Vienna, Virginia. Jammin Java is in a strip mall in the northern Virginia suburbs - not exactly the hippest spot for cool music, but on this particular night it was the place to be.

Sean Hayes opened. I had mixed feelings about his set - really liked a couple of his songs, particuarly the more surreal / mystical ones. Halfway through his set, Ms. Holland joined him and provided backing vocals. She quietly, unobtrusively, totally stole the show with her inventive and surprising harmony lines. I have a theory that she treats perfect fourths as consonant intervals, and that's at the root of her strange melodies - and especially true when she sings harmony.

Her set was terrific from start to finish. She played with a trio: drums and lead guitar. She played piano, guitar, and a cigar box fiddle. That fiddle thing sounds crazy, and good. Good. Real good. Everything she did sounded real real good. She's simply dynamite - super talented performer.

More importantly (to me) she's also one of the most gifted songwriters around these days. My friend Dave wrote an interesting essay about two songs from her album Escondida - "Black Stars" and "Goodbye California" - two of my favorites. Unfortunately, she didn't play "Black Stars," saying something like "...it has so many crazy key changes in it. I don't want to mess it up." I guess that makes me feel a little better. I taught myself that song a few months ago (because it totally slays me and I wanted a peek "under the hood") and I can't sing it very well. Mostly, that's due to the fact that I'm a very bad singer, but I'm happy to hear that she's a little reluctant to tackle it live herself...

If I had more time, I'd write lots more about this show because it was so wonderful in so many ways. But for now we'll have to leave it like so. She's great. The show was great. A very special evening. Go hear her yourself - you won't regret it. Buy her albums - they are all exceptional and worth every penny and then some. In a perfect world, she would be the most popular songwriter - and singer -in the world. Oh well. Our gain, I guess, since this way we get to hear her in small venues. Her new record, "Springtime Can Kill You" is as good as "Escondida." You should buy them both. And "Catalpa" too. Get 'em all. "Black Stars" is one of the most gorgeous, profound, darkly wonderful love songs ever written. And on the new record, the closer, "Mexican Blue" is another love song of equally stunning greatness. The opening track, "Crush in the Ghetto" is also too fine to miss out on.