Over a week ago I entered an online drawing for free tickets for Vanessa Carlton's show Friday. I hadn't given this much thought when I got a call from the station with the good news and congratulations.
After telling the station representative I had been a fan for 13 years and had all her albums he called back about an hour later to tell me I would be the station's guest at the post show VIP meet and greet.
Carlton, best known for her 2002 single "A Thousand Miles," recorded her first and second albums for A&M, BE NOT NOBODY and HARMONIUM. A third album was released by another label and the last two independently.
The show was at the Concourse, an intimate bar and venue adjacent to the larger club, the International, in Knoxville TN and was her first local appearance. She mentioned moving to Nashville recently and that return visits were likely.
Playing an electronic piano on a darkened stage lighted by candles, Carlton was joined by Skye Steele, violinist, who also added pedal controlled sound effects. Her voice sounds no different from earlier days, but the songs are more mellow and less upbeat. The set list was primarily drawn from her latest release, LIBERMAN (2015) named in honor of her grandfather. Between songs she discussed their background and inspirations.
Carousel
White Houses -- 2004 single from HARMONIUM
Take it Easy
Willows -- a song about her childhood home in rural Pennsylvania
House of Seven Swords
Operator
Blue Pool
Nothing Where Something Used to Be
A Thousand Miles -- written at age 17 while she was a ballet student
Hear the Bells
Marching Line
There were only around 50 in the audience but most seemed to know a lot of the songs' lyrics and enthusiastically took cell phone photos. This was the next to last tour stop, with the final show set for the following night (Saturday) in Asheville, NC.
JB
PS: Many thanks to WFIV (105.3 FM) -- our area independent music station
After telling the station representative I had been a fan for 13 years and had all her albums he called back about an hour later to tell me I would be the station's guest at the post show VIP meet and greet.
Carlton, best known for her 2002 single "A Thousand Miles," recorded her first and second albums for A&M, BE NOT NOBODY and HARMONIUM. A third album was released by another label and the last two independently.
The show was at the Concourse, an intimate bar and venue adjacent to the larger club, the International, in Knoxville TN and was her first local appearance. She mentioned moving to Nashville recently and that return visits were likely.
Playing an electronic piano on a darkened stage lighted by candles, Carlton was joined by Skye Steele, violinist, who also added pedal controlled sound effects. Her voice sounds no different from earlier days, but the songs are more mellow and less upbeat. The set list was primarily drawn from her latest release, LIBERMAN (2015) named in honor of her grandfather. Between songs she discussed their background and inspirations.
Carousel
White Houses -- 2004 single from HARMONIUM
Take it Easy
Willows -- a song about her childhood home in rural Pennsylvania
House of Seven Swords
Operator
Blue Pool
Nothing Where Something Used to Be
A Thousand Miles -- written at age 17 while she was a ballet student
Hear the Bells
Marching Line
There were only around 50 in the audience but most seemed to know a lot of the songs' lyrics and enthusiastically took cell phone photos. This was the next to last tour stop, with the final show set for the following night (Saturday) in Asheville, NC.
JB
PS: Many thanks to WFIV (105.3 FM) -- our area independent music station
