Live Log 2023: The Music That They Made At Mercury
A magical night with Leah Senior, Stella Kola, and Johanna Samuels
It’s a rare thing indeed when an indie artist from the antipodes makes it to the U.S. so there was no way I was going to miss Leah Senior at Mercury Lounge when she came through on October 18th. The trip from Melbourne is long and expensive but I am so glad she and her band made it here to support her stunning new album, The Music That I Make.
It’s been a few years since Mercury Lounge was like a second home for me, but all seemed as it was when I entered the bar area. The space was jammed with fans of the sold-out early show’s headliner, Will Linley, who was signing their t-shirts, etc. I suspect he’ll be playing bigger venues next time around, but his self-described “pretty boy pop” is not for me.
Eventually, the music room opened and we shuffled in with our drinks, noting the slightly more deluxe seating on either side, which was the only update. Just seeing the “NOT AN EXIT” sign on the right of the stage was a comfort. When so much good music has been made in a room, it’s wise not too make many changes.
Johanna Samuels was up first, playing songs from her fine new album, Bystander, accompanying herself on guitar or keyboard. She has smart, compassionate lyrics, a quirky way of navigating melody with her voice, and turns out well-crafted songs with seeming ease. She was charming as well, rolling with the punches when her guitar had trouble staying tune (“she just got off the plane”) or when the sustain pedal wasn’t installed on the Nord synth (Senior’s bass player soon plugged it in for her). It was great to catch up with Samuels as I had lost track since 2021’s Excelsior! I will certainly be spending more time with Bystander, which features The Walkmen’s Matt Barick on drums and was produced by Josh Kaufman with his usual warmth and sonic excellence.
After a brief pause to reset the stage, during which I chatted with a couple of people who had discovered Senior via King Gizzard and Lizard Wizard, with whom she’s toured and recorded, a five piece band took the stage. This turned out to be Stella Kola, whose name I hadn’t heard until reading it on the poster for the show. With a viola player (Jen Gelineau) and a flute/sax player (Wednesday Knudson) on the left and two acoustic guitarists on the right (Robert Thomas and Jeremy Pisani) and Beverly Ketch at the mic in the center, I had an idea of what it might sound like before they started playing.
What I didn’t expect was how absolutely wonderful it would be. This is a group of freak/psych folk veterans from bands like Sunburned Hand Of The Man and Six Organs Of Admittance who have assembled out of a seeming devotion to the Brit-folk majesty of Fotheringay, Fairport Convention, et al. Everything flowed off the stage with an ease and joy that was infectious, with all the parts interlocking behind Ketch’s airy, vibrato-free soprano.
Having now listened to their self-titled debut several times, I’m happy to say that everything I experienced that night was REAL. I was afraid it might evaporate in the light of day and the absence of well whiskey. The album fills things out further, aided by a few more musicians, including the inestimable Pat Gubler, whose own recent release is well worth hearing, I think everyone in the audience became a fan by the time Stella Kola left the stage. I buttonholed Ketch and learned they’re all from western Massachusetts, although not quite as far west as my beloved Stockbridge. But I will certainly keep an eye out when in the Berkshires in hopes of seeing them again.
When I caught up with Robert Thomas later, I wondered how Senior had found Stella Kola in the first place and learned that she had spotted them in the New Commute - something else I wish I’d heard about sooner. This was only their second New York City show and when I asked if they were accompanying Senior throughout the tour, he said they had demurred since “we’re all 100 years old.” Even more reason to look out for them in New England!
Soon it was time for the main event, Senior taking the stage at first just with guitarist Jesse Guy Williams for an intimate take on the stately title track of the new album. The song’s many statements of purpose, from the chorus (“It’s a labor of love”) to the verse that states “I wanna let you in, I don't wanna be afraid/Of what you think of me/And the music that I make” made it the perfect prelude for what was to follow.
Joined by her sister Andi on vocals, bassist Jack Robbins, and drummer Luke Brennan, they made beautiful work of instant classics like Pony, with its intertwining harmonies, and Clearest View, both breezy and expansive, with Willams on keyboard blending perfectly with Senior’s guitar. It seemed as much a release for the band as the audience as they bopped delightfully through the songs. Senior also took to the keyboard herself for what she called “our prog rock stuff,” older songs with a decidedly theatrical bent that displayed her versatility and broad musical interests.
But it was the newest songs that arrowed directly into my heart, dissolving the space between performer and listener. The lyrics to that opening song and Critic, which starts with “You threw the hot pics at the baker/All because you burnt your tongue/It's easy to blame the maker/When you're watching from afar,” suggest that finding her audience has not always been easy. But there is no question that she has honed her craft to a fine point on the latest album and should become a favorite for anyone who values beautiful, poetic songs well sung and played. She still has a few dates left on her U.S. tour and I strongly recommend that people of Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Illinois make it their business to get there. After all, even if Leah Senior’s music brings us closer, Australia is very far away.
What new bands have you discovered at live shows?
From the archives:
Live Log 2023: Leal Neale Is The River