Venue: Conor Byrne Pub - Seattle, WA
Date: Sunday, April 2, 2006
I don’t know what I was expecting, having never heard much about Robinella before. I’ve watched her recent release Solace for the Lonely climb steadily up the Americana charts for weeks now, and have done my share of listening in, via her Web site, to a few samples from the disc.
But there’s something about going into a live show not knowing what to expect. You either wind up summarily impressed, or awfully disappointed. Luckily, in this case, it was the former.
At one point, my partner leaned over and said, “I could just sit here and listen to her all night long,” and I have to admit I could second that.
Robinella’s stage presence is that of an obvious pro. She’s clearly been singing in front of people for many years. There’s no nervous, awkward between-song banter. She talks when the mood strikes her, and cracks a joke now and then. At one point, removing her jacket, she remarks, “My mother said: always have lipstick, and always remove one piece of clothing onstage.”
Tongue-in-cheek humor aside, this crowd is captivated.
Conor Byrne is one of a small handful of local venues designated specifically for acoustic music. Usually, the line-up at Conor Byrne looks like a roster of local songwriters, with the occasional out-of-towner popping in for a show.
The long, thin room attracts fans of folk and bluegrass, who usually congregate toward the rear, drinking avidly and talking loudly. The sound system is notoriously awful, especially for solo artists, but the crew is generally nice enough.
For some reason, however, Robinella’s voice and guitar are coming through the system crystal clear tonight. Her incredible vocals bring to mind an amalgam of women musicians over the course of her one hour set: Dolly Parton, Patty Griffin, Erin McKeown, Sheryl Crow and, as my friend points out, now and then, Portishead.
Her lyrics are beautiful poetry, mostly about ex-boyfriends, her husband, and her son Cash, for whom she wrote Solace’s title track. Her guitar playing is simple and appropriate, and the whole while, her husband Cruz backs her up aptly on mandolin and keyboards.
Highlights of the evening include the touchingly disturbing story behind “Whippin Wind” and the blushing honesty of “I Fall in Love as Much as I Can,” to which one audience member calls out, “Yes! Yes!”
As the set starts to wind down, Robinella remarks, “There’s a time limit on our set to keep y’all wanting more when we’re done.” Still, she manages to squeeze in a few fantastic renditions of her own songs like “Man Over,” as well as a cover of Nanci Griffith’s “Love at the Five and Dime.”
When she cuts herself off at 8 PM sharp, she wins a standing ovation, beckoning her back for an encore. Her first encore tune is “Troublesome Waters,” followed by a cover of the classic Melanie song “I’ve Got a Brand New Pair of Roller Skates (You’ve Got a Brand New Key).” With that, her mission is accomplished: the time limit has been met, and the crowd is definitely left wanting more.
