(The Confederates never forgave Allison for running off with their coat of arms, nor for turning it into a fashionable vintage kerchief. © 2009 Benjamin Luk.)
Allison Weiss is quite possibly the most endearingly dorky person I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. Sporting chunky red glasses that were probably cool thirty years ago (only just starting to make a resurgence now) and looking every bit a vintage store princess, Weiss is as unpretentious as indie music gets. When she performed at The Railway Club with fellow tourmate Lauren Zettler last Wednesday, the two of them were rounding off a self-booked weeklong tour in the Pacific Northwest. Somehow having caught wind of all this through Twitter and being immediately charmed by the unassuming Weiss, I immediately called up some friends and found myself at a table front and center with the stage.
It says a lot about an artist when they greet their audience with a yell and a flail. Unlike many other singer-songwriters, Weiss seems like the whole package: a talented musician and with a genuine personality to boot. (Ever met an artist with truly amazing songs who, when they’ve finished playing, seem like the dullest fucking person in the world? No? Get out more.) The kicker is that she’s a great pop lyricist without even realizing she’s a great pop lyricist. In spite of more pedestrian singles like “I’m Ready” and “Let Me Go”, other tracks like “Let’s Leave” contain lines like, “And you keep me for the lonely days / I swear to God it’s true / I can’t blame you ‘cause I’ve done the same thing / Many times to you.” Eloquence in simplicity, and simple songs about damaged people. Weiss has been there and it comes through in her music. Those with a strong distaste for girly love songs should stay the hell away, but if there’s a small cluster out there that still have a heart and don’t mind eating pancakes for dinner, Weiss’ entire live NYC album is available for download here, and I dare you to listen to it and not fall in love with her just a tiny bit.
Somewhere in the all-too-brief time that Weiss was onstage, she downed a tequila shot practically force-fed to her by an adoring fan, told us stories of plane crashes and hangovers, and her and Lauren performed an oddly moving downtempo cover of MGMT’s “Kids”. If the audience wasn’t on her side up ‘til then, they were on her side now. Here’s a quick taste of what you missed out on live: “Kids (MGMT Cover)” - The Text Overlays (Lauren Zettler & Allison Weiss)
Enjoy the joy.
It says a lot about an artist when they greet their audience with a yell and a flail. Unlike many other singer-songwriters, Weiss seems like the whole package: a talented musician and with a genuine personality to boot. (Ever met an artist with truly amazing songs who, when they’ve finished playing, seem like the dullest fucking person in the world? No? Get out more.) The kicker is that she’s a great pop lyricist without even realizing she’s a great pop lyricist. In spite of more pedestrian singles like “I’m Ready” and “Let Me Go”, other tracks like “Let’s Leave” contain lines like, “And you keep me for the lonely days / I swear to God it’s true / I can’t blame you ‘cause I’ve done the same thing / Many times to you.” Eloquence in simplicity, and simple songs about damaged people. Weiss has been there and it comes through in her music. Those with a strong distaste for girly love songs should stay the hell away, but if there’s a small cluster out there that still have a heart and don’t mind eating pancakes for dinner, Weiss’ entire live NYC album is available for download here, and I dare you to listen to it and not fall in love with her just a tiny bit.
Somewhere in the all-too-brief time that Weiss was onstage, she downed a tequila shot practically force-fed to her by an adoring fan, told us stories of plane crashes and hangovers, and her and Lauren performed an oddly moving downtempo cover of MGMT’s “Kids”. If the audience wasn’t on her side up ‘til then, they were on her side now. Here’s a quick taste of what you missed out on live: “Kids (MGMT Cover)” - The Text Overlays (Lauren Zettler & Allison Weiss)
Enjoy the joy.
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