9.21.2010 - The Quest for Glory Tour 2010 - Bess Rogers, Allison Weiss, and Lelia Broussard
October 3, 2010
Birdy's
Indianapolis, IN
So, it's pretty simple...whenever you get an opportunity to see a show from something titled "The Quest for Glory Tour" - you go. This is exactly what we did on a Tuesday night at a venue called Birdy's. We were excited to finally get to see Bess Rogers' solo live show, and get acquainted with the music of her tour-mates, Lelia Broussard and Allison Weiss. We had the pleasure of writing a preview for Rogers' new EP release and interviewing her about the upcoming tour, so getting the chance to see the tour's stop in Indy was something we knew we couldn't miss.
The evening started off with Lelia Broussard, an artist from L.A., whose song lyrics often speak of simple moments in relationships where the world is lost and you are captivated by the moment. Her newest project, called "Masquerade" will be released on November 2nd. It was clear from her performance that Lelia Broussard is good at what she does. She sings her guts out and is a fantastic musician. Her lyrics are powerful and relatable. She included some songs from her previous releases, such as Don't Let Go, and Waiting On the 9. It seems that if you were to go to iTunes and listen to Broussard's previous releases and listen to her sound now, you would get the sense that she is an artist not afraid to modify her sound or apply her soulful voice to whatever project she is working on. Her previous releases may sound a bit more pop (I think I saw that one of her releases is under the genre of R&B/Soul) and I think she is moving towards a more simplified, pure singer-songwriter sound. I love that. I love when artists aren't afraid of change or when they refuse to be labeled to one genre. Throughout her set, Lelia charmed us with her amazing voice and her humor. She introduced us to a new, kick-ass version of "Single Ladies," originally of Beyonce fame. We also got a taste of a song called "Hipster Bitch." Perhaps my favorite was a song to be found on Broussard's upcoming release...a song called "Satellite," which was inspired by Broussard's thoughts about a sad robot. Bess and Allison joined Lelia for this one - Bess on guitar and Allison on xylaphone, both contributing backing vocals
Next up was Bess Rogers, who opened up her set with a song called "Travel Back," the title track from an EP released in April of 2009. Rogers showed off her multiple musical skills by playing acoustic guitar, ukulele, and the xylophone at times. It was interesting to recall that the night of the show was also the day that Rogers' new EP, "Bess Rogers Presents Bess Rogers" was being released. And to our little crowd that night at Birdy's, she declared that we were her CD release party. We were excited to hear songs from the new EP: "What We Want," "Favorite Day," and "Please Come Home." She also had us sing along to a great version of "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and regaled us with tales from her 80's cover band called The Flux Capacitors. Bess truly entertained us and again we say, we are so excited for her future.
Last up was Allison Weiss, an artist from Atlanta who pretty much has raised her own funding for her albums and is great at connecting with fans via social networking. She opened up with "I'm Ready," from the Allison Weiss & The Way She Likes It EP. It should be noted that during Bess Rogers' set, Allison was in the back of the bar, playing the crane machine and victoriously won a stuffed guitar. This victory alone, sums up Weiss...she is fun, hilarious, and kicks ass. It is so obvious that she has such a blast touring and getting up on stage each night to sing with her friends. Weiss included songs from her newest release, Allison Weiss Was Right All Along: "Let's Leave," "You + Me + Alcohol," "Yer Going Down," amongst others. At the end of the set, we were treated to a version of "Boobie Bungalow," a song that needs no description, but one you should definitely check out. Also, we saw the knighting of a dude also at the show (Sir Hardy), bringing the evening of a Quest for Glory to a close.
After the show, we had a chance to hang out with these ladies and talk...let me assure you that they are some of the friendliest people we have met and again, it is so clear that they love what they do. I personally, had a weird moment...I realized that I am no good at talking to musicians. I admire them so much for what they do...I just get nervous and dumbfounded because in my head, all I can think is "These people are way too cool to even say hello to me." But the truth is that these three artists are so personable and they are exactly the kind of people I would love to hang out and have some drinks with. They are talented, but also in touch with life...their journey may be different than those of us who work a normal 9-5 job, but they experience the same adventure, fun, heartbreak, and joy we all do.
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