Krista Muir, Luther Wright and the Wrongs w/The Schomberg Fair @ Rancho Relaxo

The one thing about going to a show on a cold and rainy Monday night is that one cannot expect the turnout to be very earth shattering. However, The Schomberg Fair proved that this does not mean that one's performance necessarily has to follow suit. They had the privilege of opening for a couple of big(ger) names on Monday night, and they were determined to play their hearts out and show this modest audience what they're made of.

If you've ever seen The Schomberg Fair before, then you know that they're all about the fun. Their brand of country tinged raunchabilly twang sounds perfect in little divey-dive settings like the Rancho, and although they're very good at feeding off of the enthusiasm of a larger crowd, they still believe in giving 150% onstage, regardless of the crowds size or demeanor. They played all of their original favourites, as well as several excellent covers including songs by Townes Van Zandt (whom you'd expect) and Sinead O'Connor (whom you wouldn't expect) and Bruce Springsteen (whom you'd sorta expect, except they did I'm On Fire which sounded awesome although something like Badlands would be more what you'd expect I think. Huh?) Anyways, I've come to the realization that it had been way too long since I last saw these guys and I should really make a determined effort not to let so much time pass before catching their show again.

The Schomberg Fair will be playing The Horseshoe on November 27th.

Photos: The Schomberg Fair @ Rancho Relaxo on flickr
Myspace: The Schomberg Fair

As much as I love The Fair, the artist that actually got me out on this particular night was Luther Wright and the Wrongs. Admittedly, I'm not the most educated person when it comes to their music, but what I've heard I really enjoy. Like many people, I was introduced to them by means of their very ambitious 2001 Rebuild The Wall album, which was a song by song alt-country and bluegrass reworking of Pink Floyd's double album The Wall. Perhaps not surprisingly, they didn't play anything from that release but they did play several songs from their other albums, which I thought was also very enjoyable. Luther is the antithesis of all things ostentatious, preferring to present himself as a man of the people, the everyman; in other words, just a real cool guy. His banter was warm and endearing, and the songs were very comfortable and easy to swallow, like warm hot cocoa on a wet and rainy evening. His songs fall into a classic country and folk sound, the type of country music your grandma used to play: full of angst and cheatin' and hurtin' and his lyrics are intelligent and satirical. And of course the band name is pretty dang cool too.

Photos: Luther Wright and the Wrongs @ Rancho Relaxo on flickr
Myspace: Luther Wright and the Wrongs

Krista Muir was the headliner for the evening, but interestingly she was the artist that I actually knew the least about. I was however quite surprised to find out that her altar ego is Lederhosin Lucil, the campy cabaret dance infused pop act that I had heard so much about a few years ago. Apparently she dropped that Pee Wee Herman loving persona in 2007, and decided to start performing under her own name, although her quirky originality is still very much in tact. She is currently touring in support of her latest CD entitled Accidental Railway, and although I was largely unfamiliar with the song themselves, it was refreshing to hear a style of music that is, by and large, rather uncharted these days. Her instruments of choice were the ukulele and the omnichord, and she played songs that appeared simple when executed, but were actually quite involved when you really paid attention. She has a very unique voice that dips from a comical baritone to a lilting wisp that is impossible to ignore, even if it takes a moment or two for the ears to fully adjust. This may sound like a criticism, but actually it's her voice that I managed to fall for that night, as its unprecedented sound is the perfect mix of cute, funny, haunting and captivating. To add to her original style is the fact that her songs were not only performed in English, but she also sang in French and Greek, and even threw in a bit of a Scottish accent during her opening banter. (Or was it Irish? I'm such a knob.) Scattered in the midst of her mix of originality are accessible folk songs like Leave Alright and Summer Eyes, both of which also sounded great.

Photos: Krista Muir @ Rancho Relaxo on flickr
Myspace: Krista Muir
Video: Leave Alright on youtube