Last time I saw Mirah, she was playing the living room of an historic house in Walla Walla, WA, a small town that was fortunate enough to be the first stop on a number K Records tours. Even as a student, when the cost of a CD was equal to two mind numbing hours working at the library, Mirah's performances compelled me to buy her albums. In the seven or eight years since, her albums have never be been out of my stereo for more than a few months, and her music remained intertwined with fond memories of a handful of intimate performances. I was excited to see her so much later, but I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that a few elements of the performance would be different this time around.
It was the same Mirah onstage, still with her Gibson guitar, slow-paced songs, and slightly obscure, but poetic, lyrics. But this time (1) Mirah had a band, and (2) Mirah was playing Antone's, the grandfather of Austin's great music venues. The band was a great addition, and allowed songs derived from a very stripped-down aesthetic to rise to filled-in crescendos and choruses. The venue was also appropriate, given its great sound system and accoustics, but unfortunately the sounds of people talking over the music carried just as well. But Mirah stuck to her guns and didn't heed requests to turn up the vocals. Instead, she just reminded the crowd, "I sing quiet."
And Mirah proceeded to (quietly) perform a set including fan favorite "Cold Cold Water," and my personal favorite, "Jerusalem." Even in a larger venue, with a backing band, the performance retained a sense of intimacy and honesty. This led me to conclude that if Mirah's new hometown, Portland, were an adjective, it would perfectly describe her stage presence (utterly without pretense, taking occasionaly pauses to sip water from an aluminum bottle) and her band's (reserved but earnest, sporting the occasional hint of a smile). Ultimately, even though I wish the people by the bar had kept it down a bit, I'm happy to have a new, already fond, memory to fold into Mirah's refreshing and renewing music.
