It’s not news that there’s a lot of pressure that comes with being a full-time student. The strain of midterm week, a part-time job, and trying to be involved on campus can make a trip across the river to Cambridge seem like a trip around the world. Except when there’s music involved.
Last night, I had the pleasure of seeing both The Watson Twins and Jessie Baylin in Cambridge at T.T. the Bear’s on February 28th. The venue is pocket-sized and cozy, much like its Central Square locale, and so it should come as no surprise that the rest of the evening followed suit; the best way I can think of to describe the gig was that it felt like living in cozy, pocket-sized world.
Truth be told, I sometimes hate watching openers. I know I should be delighted at the prospect of unheard music, but I often feeling like openers are completely mismatched to the headlining artist. But not this time around. Baylin’s opening act The Watson Twins, who also serve as her backup singers on tour and provided background vocals on her latest album, were an absolute joy to watch and felt like an essential and organic addition to the tour. The twin sisters took the stage with only a guitar, a tambourine, a shaker, and the keyboardist from Baylin’s band and somehow made magic. Their voices are similar, but different enough to create depth and their songwriting is thoughtful, but straightforward enough to escape pretension. To me, there has never been a more winning combination. I think the highlight of the show, though, was when The Watson Twins asked for the large disco ball overhead to be turned on and then climbed down from the stage to stand in the middle of audience. With nothing but a guitar, they belted out a touching rendition of their tune “Give Me A Chance.” And I have to say, I’m glad I did.
When Jessie Baylin came on, she reminisced about opening for another artist at the venue on her first tour back when she was 22. She has surely come a long way since then. If you’re a fan of Baylin, then you’ll be familiar with her previous album releases You, Firesight, and a free EP she released on her website called Pleasure Center (which I urge you to download and share with all of your friends). Her music has been described as bluesy, jazzy, folky, twangy, rootsy, and almost every other genre-turned-adjective. While it’s true that her newest record, Little Spark, is not a giant departure from records past, it is certainly a maturation of those same sounds. She’s changed but still stayed the same. And that is the most affecting part of her live show: the warmth of her earlier songs is still there, but it feels deeper and richer now. Baylin sang every word through half-closed lids, as if she was between the here and now and the world she creates in her songs. The music itself was neither here nor there, as well: it took old, romantic tones and fused them with newer, more modern arrangements, so there was no gimmicky or kitschy feel to the performance at all. “Hurry, Hurry,” played at the beginning of set, is almost wildly serene and coquettish, but lyrically, I found “The Winds” and “Love Is Wasted On Lovers” to be the hardest hitting songs of the night, with words so tender and nostalgic it made my heart break a little bit. The entirety of the set was raw, but intimate. So intimate, in fact, that it felt weird to walk out the door and back onto the city streets after being tucked away in that world for so long.
But I think those are the shows that are definitely worth throwing your obligations aside and crossing the river for.
Jessie Baylin’s album Little Spark is out now and you can buy it on her website (www.jessiebaylin.com).
The Watson Twins’ album Night Covers is out now and you can buy it on their website (http://www.thewatsontwins.com/home).
By: Ashley Killingsworth of Who Knows, Who Cares