Vanessa Carlton
Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA
01.15.16
While not as rowdy as Capitol Hill weekends, Ballard Avenue has its own brand of excitement on every corner. Just one of many venues lining the area, Tractor Tavern definitely exudes a distinctive presence in Seattle, and made for the perfect live venue for Vanessa Carlton. The environment was cozy and relaxed, the lights on the stage soft and almost dream like creating the perfect atmosphere for Carleton’s latest album Liberman. While we’re all familiar with the pianist/singer/songwriter’s debut “A Thousand Miles,” her newer material has seen her blossom into a sincere, less pop-driven artist.
Opening the tour for Carlton is Skye Steele. The Brooklynite multi-instrumentalist songwriter has gone from subway performances to concert halls, and held a long-standing collaborative relationship with Carlton. Steele was able to build up a great live performance with his looping machine. The creative use of guitars, violin and sampled drums all showed his ability to twist different instrumental sounds into an atmospheric padding. Like seeing an oil painter layering up different shades of color, Steele layered up his music one instrument at a time to create a cohesive image to his story. Steele played mostly original songs, but he managed to play a cover of “Fill your Heart” by the recently deceased David Bowie.
After thirty minutes of performance from Steele, Vanessa Carlton entered the stage. With Steele acting as Carlton’s one-man band, she played familiar piano melodies. Her voice was spot on, there wasn’t a slight imperfection. As she sang, people closed their eyes, immersed in the storytelling. It was incredible to see her sing live, her voice sounding just like on her records. One of the songs she performed was “White Castles,” a song that everyone knew and sang along with.
Between songs Carlton would chat about her next piece of work before playing it, giving her audience a sense of direction and empathy. One of her stories, “Willow” from Liberman, was about the weeping willow trees in Pennsylvania. She really spoke to her fans as she sang her songs, each very personal, intimate and true. Old and new songs, each with the ability to be re-imagined as part of the listener’s own experience.
Review by Kai-Yao Lan
Photos by Daniel Hager
Vanessa Carlton
