I saw Basia Bulat open for Final Fantasy on Sunday night. (Owen Pallett's former bandmade Nifty was the first opener, but lets not talk about him ok? Overheard after his set, in a regretful tone, "I passed up a turd sandwich to be here tonight, man!")
So Basia was quite a relief! She was not what I was expecting-- she didn't sound like an indie singer-songwriter much at all. Big, big voice, and kind of a Canadian folk-rock sound that reminded me of Natalie Merchant and 10,000 Maniacs from the '90s. I don't know if I need to hear this on record, but I would gift it to the Sarah Harmer fans in my life, and I would definitely see it live again.
This video is from a show in her hometown, London, Ontario, and I like it because it shows the contrast between her giggly stage persona and her "go time" focus. Watch her snap to the mic when the drum hits! Interesting.
I wish I could find a video of her rocking out on autoharp. It is adorable! (Galen said, "Playing autoharp looks like you're giving someone a big hug.")
My Trusted MOGs
I meant to comment on this a while back. I thought that your perspicacious observation of her transition from banter to business was right on point and interesting.
I can't say the music did much for me but I appreciate the post in any case.