It's been a quiet last few months for good shows, as most winters are. In fact in January I only made it out to one concert and one spoken word event, both on the same day - January 24th. It was a pretty damn good day - saw Thomas Jane and the rest of the Raw Comics guys in the early afternoon at the 12th annual Dallas Comic Con, then went to see Erin McCarley open for Brett Dennen at the Loft in downtown.

Erin's record, Love, Save the Empty just came out a few weeks ago, but I first heard of her in November 2008 when her record company sent me a 3 track sampler for the upcoming record. Now I get a lot of music that I don't really enjoy, and when I dropped in Erin's sampler I thought it was just going to be another over-produced pop record - in the vein of Sara Bareilles or A Fine Frenzy. And then something strange happened, I couldn't get the sampler out of my car's CD player.

It basically stayed there for a month and a half, with the 3 songs on constant repeat. The album's title track got especially abused, with me often hitting the back button to hear it one more time. Long story short, I was ready for the whole record to come out in January, and picked it up the day it was released. It did not disappoint, building on the strengths of the sampler - Erin's gorgeous voice and lush layered production that complements well written and catchy songs featuring traditional pop structures.

Of course, for me a good record is just a prelude to seeing a performer live to see if the potential lives up to the reality. Fortunately, though the record features some sweet production, there's absolutely no trickery needed to make Erin's voice magical. The live set was basically Erin playng guitar and singing, backed up by a piano and drums, it featured the best songs from the record and an unexpected and entertaining cover of Tom's Diner by Suzanne Vega.

Unfortunately for all of us, my recording of the show did not come out due to some technically difficulties at the show. I have a gorgeous recording sans Erin's voice. Hopefully I get to rectify this problem the next time she comes through town.

Be sure to check out Erin's studio tracks at her MySpace, and pick up her record Love, Saves the Empty here. She's got a couple of dates coming later in February in Kentucky, Tennesse and Ohio - check out details here, and then she's touring with the Nashville Singer/Songwriter troupe, Ten out of Tenn. A pretty cool concept, a bunch of songwriters touring together to showcase their tracks, and back up their friends. Looks like there's going to be 2 shows in Dallas, and Ill be checking them out. If they come through your town, drop in to check out a bunch of upcoming artists.

First photo: Reidrolls (Erin's husband). Second photo: Lullabyes

Erin McCarley Tour Dates:
Feb 17 2009 Southgate House Cincinnati, Ohio
Feb 19 2009 The Basement Columbus, Ohio
Feb 20 2009 The Square Room Knoxville, Tennessee
Feb 21 2009 Gerstles Louisville, Kentucky
Feb 28 2009 3rd & Lindsley - Benefit Show Nashville, Tennessee

Ten Out Of Tenn Tour Dates:
Mar 12 2009 House of Blues New Orleans, Louisiana
Mar 13 2009 Chelsea’s Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Mar 14 2009 Meridian Houston, Texas
Mar 15 2009 The Loft Dallas, Texas
Mar 22 2009 Rhythm Room Phoenix, Arizona
Mar 24 2009 Troubadour West Hollywood, California
Mar 25 2009 The Independent San Francisco, California
Mar 26 2009 The Red Room Kennewick, Washington
Mar 27 2009 The Triple Door Seattle, Washington
Mar 28 2009 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, Oregon
Mar 29 2009 The Red Room Kennewick, Washington
Mar 30 2009 Knitting Factory Spokane, Washington
Mar 31 2009 Knitting Factory Boise, Idaho
Apr 1 2009 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, Utah
Apr 2 2009 Belly Up Aspen Aspen, Colorado
Apr 3 2009 The Black Sheep Colorado Springs, Colorado
Apr 4 2009 Bluebird Theatre Denver, Colorado

Labels: dallas, erin mccarley, major, ten out of tenn, the loft