This past Sunday marked Ruby Fray’s first show since Emily Beanblossom moved her project from Olympia, Washington several thousand miles to Austin, TX. Having been here for four months settling in, the artist emerged to play a show with quaint charm in the back yard of the Wardenclyffe Gallery in East Austin. The show was much like what you would expect from her old haunt Olympia. For starters, Olympia recording artist Briana Marela acted as the fulcrum of the show.
Several additional aspects of the evening indicated that Beanblossom brought the Northwest with her. The late May weather that usually borders on scorching hot cooled considerably, and the smell of rain hung in the air. As people slowly showed up, many seemed to be old friends, hugs abounded, and several conversations broke out about what classes were shared at the infamous Evergreen College. The backyard venue, littered with antiques and junk, wrapped these other elements together, and we were convinced we were at a house show in Olympia.
A nameless noise duo kicked off the night, performing one continuous song of ruckus that evolved and shifted. At times, the musical texture was coarse and gravelly, and at others, notes bent sharply, whining and shrill. At the end of the song, one of the two musicians commented that we just witness their “first and last show.” As inaccessible as this kind of set might be, it’s nice to see music be centered on sharing.
Touring act Briana Marela followed, whose latest effort, Speak From Your Heart, just came out on Olympia’s Bicycle Records. Marela was assisted on stage by her sister, Lisa, who provided guitar and backing vocals. Meanwhile, Briana sang lead and used looping effects to layer her voice over drum machine and synth. Marela has a penchant for melodies and sugary synth lines, though her brand of pop is more even-keel than action-packed. Their set was serious and sincere as Marela closed with the title track from her latest album, repeating the uplifting lyrics, “Speak from your heeeeaaaarrt—sing it out!”
Beanblossom took the stage last, aided by a few friends she has recruited since her move to Austin. The set, as might have been anticipated, was loose and casual, with members of the band good-naturedly debating which songs to play. Among those decided upon were “And the Moon,” “Closed Eye,” “Barren Hill,” and the low, haunting “Northern Washington,” all sourced from her album Pith. Ruby Fray, even in their free form performance, delivered the most cohesive and commanding set of the evening. Beanblossom’s voice is voluminous and has no problem carrying a performance over sparse instrumentation, even in a back yard open-air venue. While Pith showed various facets of Beanblossom’s recording tendencies, and was exciting as a document of an artist experimenting in divergent realms, the consistent line-up of the live show resulted in more cohesive arrangements and tone than on record. Both approaches work well for Beanblossom, so seeing this live performance acts merely as a different cross-section of her talents. With Ruby Fray in Austin, we’re hoping to catch more of her shows as she develops and writes new material. If you catch a show, be sure to pick up one of her hand-crafted, organic bars of Beanblossom Soaps.
