Ferron and Bitch - Boulder
It's been one month since Ferron and Bitch released their collaborative album, Boulder, and they've hit the road to share their collaboration with the world. Considering the community feel of the record (on which Ferron and Bitch were joined by the Indigo Girls, Ani DiFranco, JD Samson, and Samantha Parton), it was a curious thing to see how the duo would deliver these songs in a live setting without the contributions of the other five women.Of course, Ferron has been performing these songs for 30 years, so the fact that she pulls them off on her own is not all that surprising. What is somewhat surprising is the level of chemistry apparent in the duo's live performance.
Ferron and Bitch: An Interesting Pair
"We're pretty funny to look at," Ferron admits early on in the set, in case anyone in the audience is still marveling at the visual oddity of the pairing. Indeed, there's probably a foot of height between the two. Bitch stands towering, with her waist-length dredlocks, and Ferron is unassumingly short, in white tennis shoes and khaki pants. Not that appearances matter at all. These two are entirely about the music and the poetry—both of which ooze from their pores.
Ferron and Bitch: The Comedy Show
They take turns playing their own compositions, backing each other when appropriate. Bitch adds her electric bass or fiddle to Feron's work, piling the simple, long story-songs with layers of sound and meaning. Between songs, they crack jokes and riff off each other's differing senses of humor:
Ferron: ...we are all one thing.
Bitch: I wonder which part of my energetic body is John McCain.
Ferron: The bald part.
Bitch: I call it the back door.
At one point, Ferron tells the audience she's finally learned about her Amer-Indian heritage, something she's always wondered about. In response, Bitch breaks into an a cappella song her roommate once wrote: "Give the Indians poison blankets," she sings and claps, "America—it's ours now."
Ferron and Bitch: The Music Show
There's no doubt about it. Together, these women are a force. Although she admits she was "done" with her own music before teaming up with Bitch, Ferron performs selections from her catalog with such automatic emotion, it's almost unbelievable. "Already Gone" (purchase/download) and "Misty Mountain" (purchase/download) stand out as two of the night's most exquisite performances.Meanwhile, clearly and admittedly influenced by her collaborator, Bitch lights into her original compositions with a fever and ferocity fans have come to expect from the artist. Particularly on "Traffic" (purchase/download), she seems to be exorcizing demons, as she steps away from the microphone and belts from somewhere deeper than the heart. Then, she immediately cuts away to an old timey fiddle tune, while Ferron jumps around and dances to the jig.
It's this kind of balance that makes the duo so undeniably haunting. As they close out the set with Bitch's song "Rise" (purchase/download), the strength of two poets becomes passionate and practically overwhelming. Whether or not the collaboration continues forever, it has created a bright enough moment, for now.
