Saturday, January 17, 2009

KaiserCartel in Review

The first concert of 2009 for me featured in the second slot, this wonderful duo from Brooklyn NY. Genuine personality and sound that can best be described as "pure". Other then utilizing a guitarist from the main act of the night to play some tambourine on "Okay", all singing and instrumentation for their performance at the Doug Fir Lounge last night came from Courtney Kaiser and Benjamin Cartel.

Courtney's voice rang out strong in the small and terrific basement of the Doug Fir. We were treated to a very intimate performance of virtually every song on their debut album "March Forth". Benjamin is a true master of the percussion. By himself he was able to simulate an entire group of performers and change the dynamics of a song by lowering or raising his energy level while playing.

A true sweetheart, Courtney was very pleasant to talk with after the show and I could tell she was thoroughly enjoying the praise from all of us that she got a chance to talk to. Yet she remained humble and had a child like twinkle in her eyes.

The set was capped off with the duo hushing the audience and leaving the stage to come out to us. Courtney's sang a beautiful song and Benjamin backed her up while playing acoustic guitar. Courtney made eye contact with nearly each of us as they did this. And for a second or two... she was singing to each of us individually. A truly unique finish to a wonderful show.

Two of their songs are featured below.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hello! :)