Review

Voices in Our Backyard

Anyone who's wondered where all the good female artists have gone since Lilith Fair doesn't have far to look. They're right here in the Northwest. And I'm not just talking about the handful that has been spotlighted in this last decade. Much less lauded are some wonderful singer-songwriters: Holly Figueroa, Kym Tuvim, Sheryl Wiser and Magdalen Hsu-Li. I was in the dark myself until I pulled myself from the balmy Mother's Day weather to check out their talent at the Tractor Tavern. I was more than pleasantly surprised.

Holly Figueroa
I've played a little guitar myself, so I was thrilled to see the show open with Tuvim, Figueroa, and Wiser holding their own with just their guitars and their voices. I settled in just as Figueroa launched into her powerful strumming. Her syncopated style called to mind that of Ani DiFranco, as did her humorous, storytelling lyrics. But Figueroa is very much her own woman, leaning more towards the soulful than the abrasive. Now, I'm not saying that I prefer one approach over the other. Figueroa just knows her style and can express it authentically. Her last song, an a cappella, bluesy cover of Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child," absolutely transfixed me. All I could think was ‘Joan Osborne, eat your heart out!' as Figueroa's rich, husky voice gave the song a depth I'd never felt before.

Later, one of her friends told me that she wasn't feeling well that evening, and she spent the rest of the night hidden in back. Could've fooled me. It made me wonder what she's capable of when she's feeling great.

Sheryl Wiser
Of these three women, Sheryl Wiser cut the most distinctive visual image in her long, black, sleeveless dress and brilliant, red, Parker electric guitar. Her first song, a new untitled piece that I like to think of as "Bird," showed her guitar prowess with some beguiling jazzy licks and effective use of vibrato. Although she sang with a profesional and polished voice, it left me wanting to see her make more use of her guitar. But again, I have to admit I'm little biased towards good guitar when I hear it. Her following songs, "Kitchen Table" and "Botticelli's Girl" showed clever songwriting skills. I especially enjoyed the humorous "Botticelli's Girl." In this song she longs to be admired for her womanly and curvaceous figure. I'm sure I'm not the only one who can sympathize with that!

Kym Tuvim
Kym Tuvim's style had a deceptively simple and elegant quality. She made performing look so easy, and yet there were times where her plucking was intricate enough to give the impression of two guitars going at once. Layered throughout her songs was Tuvim's rich, haunting voice, calling to mind that of Tracy Chapman's—lush, warm, soulful, nurturing. I'd noticed this before when I heard her on KMTT's Acoustic Brunch radio show, but listening to her in person greatly magnified this impression. I wish I could single out a particular song or two, but they were all good. Each time she sang I was wrapped in the fabric of her voice, making it difficult to analyze each one.

Magdalen Hsu-Li
Now, I had planned on seeing just these three performers, but I found myself wanting more. More was what I got out of Magdalen Hsu-Li. Sitting straight with her large drum between her knees and her waist-long black hair, she cut a commanding figure. From the first pound of her hand, she started a luscious percussion series accompanied by another fellow on a basic drum set. Just the two of them rivaled the primal intricacies of and African or Latin American rhythm section. There were times when I found her lyrics to be a little simplistic, but for energy and rhythmic mastery, Hsu-Li was the queen. The repetitive chorus for her song "Assimilated" might have sounded repetitive with another artist. With her, it had the hypnotic power of a mantra.

During Hsu-Li's set a young woman in long blue dreadlocks had been sitting next to me at the CD sales table talking to Kym Tuvim. She didn't strike me as someone I should know until she mentioned swapping a CD for one of Hsu-Li 's. Turns out that this was none other than Sheila Nicholls, the final act of the evening and the only "import," being from England. I knew absolutely nothing about her going to this concert, and I figured that if Hsu-Li was an unexpected surprise, than Nicholls would be as well.

Sheila Nicholls
It was a good bet. Even though Nicholls had the added benefit of some supporting musicians, it could have just been her and her keyboard for all I cared. She closed her eyes, set her fingers to the keys, and with an a pleading, boyish, and accented voice proceeded to disarm the audience. Well, at least she charmed me! Her surging piano has Tori Amos' emotive force, especially on "Eiderdown," but her lyrics are more centered and are less stream-of-consciousness than those of Amos. I also heard elements of XTC in the rocking, lilting, and somewhat quirky "Medusa," but the lyrics definitely came from a woman's perspective. Bottom line is that Nicholls is one-of-a-kind, expert songwriter.

It was so refreshing to hear talented women whose inspired music isn't the typical fare you hear on the radio. I guess I'll just have to save up and make some CD purchases next month so I can continue to revisit them. Maybe one day the radio and other local venues will grab a clue. In the meantime, check out the sites of these musicians for yourself, and discover a music scene that bases itself on talent rather than hype.

Holly Figueroa
www.hollyfigueroa.com

Indiegrrl
www.indiegrrl.com
Established by Holly Figueroa, Indiegrrl provides online resources for women in all roles of the independent music industry.

Sheryl Wiser
www.rahul.net/hrmusic/wiser/wiser.html

Kym Tuvim
home.earthlink.net/~kymtuvim/

Magdalen Hsu-Li
www.magdalenhsuli.com

Sheila Nicholls
www.essexgirl.com/sheilanicholls/

Annette Young has written for the Experience Music Project (EMP), the new interactive music museum at the Seattle Center. Her pieces can be found in EMP's Digital Collection, an online resource that provides information on the museum's exhibits. She also is the Web site coordinator for Seattle Writergrrls.
Contact her at ursagrrl@drizzle.com if you want to know more about Seattle Writergrrls.