Martha Wainwright
Meeniyan Town Hall
Saturday November 15, 2008It might seem odd to travel for nearly two hours to a small East Gippsland township when I could have seen the same act fifteen minutes away at the Forum two nights earlier. But Meeniyan is a special gig, maybe my favourite venue.
The only motel in town is cheap and clean. The food at the only pub is as basic as it might have been in the 1950’s, although you can bring your own food to the venue! The only drawback is that whenever I see the local John Deere dealership I get a hankering to buy a tractor!
The small country town hall is the most significant feature of the main street, apart from the pub and the tractor dealership. It offers a chance to get up close and personal with an artist in a way not possible at a large venue like the Forum. The audience is always attentive but not over-reverent. (I didn’t see anyone use a mobile phone all night!) The hall is bursting with atmosphere and the dynamics seem to bring the best out in musicians.
Martha Wainwright’s show again proved that it is worth the effort and cost to make the trip to Meeniyan. I even got to say hello to her before the show as she went for a stroll across to the local park. She smiled p0litely when I told her I interviewed her father just a few weeks ago in San Francisco. Goodness knows what she thought when she arrived in this sleepy, little hamlet miles from anywhere; but there is no doubt that a few hours when she found herself in front of an adoring audience she would have been glad to have made the trip.
Wainwright’s guitarist Oren Bloedow started proceedings with a quirky and compelling five-song set that indicated his solo albums might be worth seeking out. A founder of New York trio Elysian Fields, he has also played with Me’shell Ndegeocello. He has the confidence of someone who has been around a while and the humility to realise he is not the star.
Then came Fergus Brown and Holly Austin, who looked like student teachers on holiday. Brown’s forthcoming solo album might be a better indication of his talents than this gig, which I found a little underwhelming but which, I have to say received an excellent response from the rest of the audience. In fact, the constantly smiling and almost unnaturally happy duo noted that this was their most attentive audience ever. (They obviously had not seen me squirming at a table in the second row). The fact that they were selling an EP with a hand-sewn cover says it all. To be fair, however, my impatience to see Martha probably coloured my view.
Martha Wainwright’s stage presence seems to have changed considerably since she was here last. Not that her voice is less arresting and powerful. Dressed in tight blue jeans, boob-tube and high-heeled boots, she has a much charisma as in the past but seems far more assured and confident. Maybe that is because her husband Brad Albetta is playing bass, keyboards and occasional guitar. Along with Bloedow and drummer Matt Johnson, the band provides an excellent background and allows Wainwright plenty of room to move, musically.
Though it hard to define, Wainwright definitely has a certain star quality. There is sexiness but also vulnerability. The voice can be powerful, emotive, caressing, gentle or strident – but it is always extraordinary. Very occasionally you can actually hear the influence of her father in her dramatic delivery but Martha is a one-off.
The only thing that separates Wainwright from a huge audience and superstardom (which may come at some stage) is her decision not to pander to the larger commercial market – and we are the winners in this. The songs are sometimes challenging but always interesting.
Wainwright’s set traversed her career, with songs taken from her self-titled 2005 debut and this year’s,
I Know You’re Married But I’ve Got Feelings Too. She also showed her French-Canadian roots with a stunning version, a la Piaf, of ‘Dis, Quand Reviendras-Tu’. Then there was the mighty cover of Leonard Cohen’s ‘The Traitor’ (which she originally recorded for the tribute album
I’m Your Man.
She seemed genuinely happy to be playing in such intimate surrounding and being able to relate to such an enthusiastic yet polite audience. In that regard it was an outstanding success.
The coup de grace came with a superb version of ‘Stormy Weather,’ a rock out on Pink Floyd’s ‘See Emily Play’ (with Brown and Austin guesting) and a gorgeous reading of ‘Factory’.
Kudos to the organisers of the Meeniyan Town Hall concerts for putting on yet another memorable evening.
Justin Townes Earle plays at Meeniyan Town Hall on November 29. Joe Henry appears on January 24.