Lissie’s voice is stuck somewhere between a girlish coo and a sultry rasp. The folksy singer-songwriter took the stage at 9:30 club last Sunday, changing the mood of the room with her easygoing nature and cheerful grin.
Opening the show was the young and raffish Dylan LeBlanc. As he ambled onstage, he stood awkwardly with a guitar slung over his shoulder, in a worn out blazer and red button down. He had just released his debut album and was full of nerves, choosing to launch right into his set with songs from “Pauper’s Field.”
LeBlanc’s voice was thick and mournful, with his lyrics gushing into one another. Onstage he was accompanied by a keyboardist, which did not particularly do anything for his music, but rather just added unnecessary sounds to simplistic guitar strums. LeBlanc’s personal style and musical choices strongly resembled folk singers of late, especially Neil Young — the difference is that LeBlanc has a much stronger voice than the folk stars of yesteryear.
After playing a few mournful songs, like “5th Avenue Bar” and a particularly romantic cover of Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon,” LeBlanc decided to get a bit chattier with the audience. He talked about his hometown in Louisiana, his love for sad songs and how he despised American Airlines for smashing one of his beloved guitars and not reimbursing him. All this was said in LeBlanc’s Southern murmur, always with the ghost of a smirk on his face. He rounded out the set with a few more songs from his album, including “Chesapeake Lane” and a George Harrison cover. Then with a quick grin, and a few more magical guitar strums, LeBlanc made way for the main attraction — Lissie.
With her flaxen hair tied in a loose knot, dressed in a pale yellow T-shirt and bellbottom jeans, Lissie looked every bit the bubbly folk rocker that she is. Proceeding straight into the opening number, accompanied by guitarist Eric Sullivan and bassist and drummer Lewis Keller, Lissie charmed the crowd with the self-deprecating Hank Williams cover, “Wedding Bells.”
She continued plowing through songs, such as “Worried About” and “Here Before.” After each number, she would breathe out a delighted ‘thank you’ as though surprised to still be surrounded by an audience. And why wouldn’t she be? Lissie knows how to put on a performance. Her voice is raw and strong, singing lyrics that tell stories of innocent love and bravery.
After tearing into each song relentlessly, she took occasional breaks to tell little stories to the audience, prefacing each song from her album with an explanation for its inspiration. For the knockout song “Bully” — which was without a doubt one of the highlights of the night — Lissie spoke briefly about her youth and how she felt out place, but how clinging to those who loved her got her through those tough times. The song was a reflection of that feeling, with lyrics like “I know your heart’s been broken/ but martyrs never open doors/ the world is yours, carry this torch/ and use your voice.”
She peppered the rest of her performance with little facts about herself. For example, Lissie only drinks tequila that is a hundred percent agave and willingly accepts shots from the audience (which immediately prompted a random audience member to send a shot up her way — which she took albeit begrudgingly). Before singing the song “Everywhere I Go,” Lissie told the crowd that because the music video for the song featured an elephant, she kisses a small elephant statue every time before singing that song onstage.
After a tour de force performance, filled with chatter and delicious guitar solos, Lissie left the stage, and subsequently, fans wanting more. After returning for a much-needed encore, she performed the heartfelt ballad “Oh Mississippi,” and then the cover song that gained her recognition in the first place.
After taking her traditional shot of tequila, Lissie and co. dove headfirst into an exhilarating rock cover of Kid Cudi’s ode to the fast life, “Pursuit of Happiness,” turning it into a rollicking and reflective rock song with a sweeping outpour of emotion. The luscious guitar solos didn’t hurt either.
ydesta@theeagleonline.com
