Notes from a Genius

A couple weeks ago, I got to see Regina Spektor here in Portland, ME. This was the second time I saw her, the first time being about 3 or 4 years ago, I believe. She's made quite a mainstream/pop culture name for herself nowadays (as if she had not already with her unique style of piano and pop-anti-folk songwriting), thanks in large part to her theme song contribution to Netflix's show "Orange is the New Black" (yup, that's a Regina Spektor song). This time around, she was playing to a sold-out crowd, with no opening act, just her, and the only thing that got to me was the fact that she made the crowd wait an extra half hour past her scheduled time to come out on stage. But, once she started playing, all was forgiven. She mixed up her setlist with a variety of new songs and the oldies! On the Radio Play Video Grand Hotel Play Video Older and Taller Play Video Black and White Play Video Blue Lips Play Video Tornadoland Pl...

A little catching up to do here, as I've been to four shows in the past couple of weeks, but life has seemingly got in the way of writing about them. So, last week I went down to Boston a couple of times. Last Tuesday, I went to see Eisley (or the latest version of the band, as they've gone through a few lineup changes over the years, the two consistents being the Dupree cousins, Sherri- whose voice just sounds absolutely angelic- and Garron, but the band originally started with the three sisters- Chauntelle, Stacy, and Sherri. I remember seeing them several years ago when they opened for Say Anything (Sherri having since married Max Bemis from Say Anything), along with Moneen. I just remember being in my emo-state-of-mind heaven with that lineup, which I believe was back in support of Eisley's album "Combinations" and quite possibly the second Say Anything record, which was not as great as their debut album (...Is a Real Boy, which I bought for several of my frie...