Elise Leavy: [CA central coast à Lafayette, LA] Band two of houseconcert. I was gripping my chair to sit up - putting my feet in my heels upside down to change the flex. This girl was real awkward – 5 foot 6? Snug acid-washish boot cut jeans with cowboy boots peaking out. Aviator jacket. No makeup except glitter around eyes above and below. Cute curly mullet. I couldn't pigeonhole her and she was inexplicably a little relatable. Fittingly, there was something to how she spoke (accent? lisp?) that disappeared when she sang. Once she sang I was smitten. Atonal plaintative singing crossed with talking. Sad girl lyrics. Weird guitar tuning. Which reminds me! Lately, I’ve been trying to learn Liz Phair songs and her chords are crazy beautiful offbeat – but nobody gives her credit for being a literal music genius. Just like poor old Courtney Hole’s success was sent down the hole to Kurt. But anyway, while more gentle and genuine, her style is reminiscent of Liz’s Guyville. I also heard some classic folk girl sound, which is not exactly my bag. She confirmed it when she cited Joni Mitchell as a favorite and covered “Both Sides Now” heartbreakingly. TheBirds&TheBeesANDTheFlowers was singing along and then said she fucked it all up with poor breathing or something. I believe Joni Mitchell is a favorite of my work favorite and so I include that link for him – and because I grew up liking that song. Then she started getting sassy. She knew the openers since she was 12 so I'd assume she's from Oregon (but google tells me she’s from CA so maybe from those songwriting camps jaja). But she lived in New York City with six roommates during COVID when she joined Hinge for first time - hey me too. She referenced awkward dates with masks and six feet of distance. She moved to Nashville next and sang us songs about the bluegrass boys who disappointed her. Then she moved to Lafayette so she sang about the Cajuns boys who disappointed her. She switching from pick guitar to rhythm to play a song about living in a house in Lafayette with no appliances, lights or doors – I’ll do it my way. Most of her songs were about being lonely, waiting for love - sentiments I sneer at and totally relate to. She had the sincerity of a teen but the older crowd started chuckling at her complaints against men getting drunk and fucking it all up - she smiled a bit in return but she was serious. She had a song dedicated to her three fathers: her stepdad who let her accompany him on accordian in bars at the age of ten, her dad, her granddad who died a few years ago. She said her stepdad and mom split a few months ago and it made her realized love has to change. There was humor in her songs but mostly intent and passion - it worked for me. By the end she was luminous and beautiful to me – the soul behind the meaningless physical sack revealed.
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