French Fur Trading in the Pacific Northwest - MAGGIE KOERNER Gig Review! Seattle, WA 7/17/17
Maggie
Koerner
Katie Kuffel
Timberfoot
at The Sunset
Ballard, WA
7/17/17
I love it when a concert meets or exceeds your
expectations. Many times, prior to going
to cover a show for EA, I will have formulated in my head what I think the gig
will be like. The bands stage presence,
the energy, how much the performance will resonate with me, etc.
Monday night I found myself at The Sunset in
Ballard. Having been there a handful of
times (most recently for Guitar Wolf), I knew the front of the room was chill
with friendly staff and the back of the room was where the 200 capacity venue
held their concerts.
All the way from New Orleans, Louisiana (with a hometown
of Shreveport), artist Maggie Koerner was going to take the stage with her
soulful, powerhouse vocals. I had been
listening to Maggie’s work leading up to the gig and I envisioned being floored
by her vocals in an actual live setting.
I was right.
First up for the evening was local band Timberfoot. A late addition to the bill, the four piece played
a 30 minute or so set of great tunes – inspired by Modest Mouse and Radiohead,
with an indie and Americana flair. I was
pleasantly surprised by their set. All
four musicians could play, they were in the pocket most of their set, and the
songs were really done well! They could
use a smidge of a visual identity on stage but that’s nitpicking. I would definitely check them out again,
especially when they’ve had more show notice and/or a longer set.
After a brief changeover, local songstress Katie Kuffel,
took the stage. I’ve known about Katie
for quite some time but things never worked out for me to check her out
live. Finally that changed Monday night.
Backed with a very competent rhythm section (who had only
been playing with Katie for a matter of months), Katie played an eclectic set
of tunes in her set. Soulful one song,
singer-songwriter-ish (if that makes any sense) the next, with very melodic
sensibilities, Katie played her set with artistry and soul. I liked how the lyrics told a story but the
music wasn’t so, for lack of a better term, basic. The songs were put together well and that
just enhanced the lyrical and vocal approach.
As she stood at her keyboard and sang, the audience was drawn into her
music. Katie is another artist I would
like to see again.
What can you say about Maggie Koerner? She had played with Galactic (at the Showbox)
a few years back. She has been out on
her own since then, collaborating with other artists here and there as
well. She is a no nonsense, powerful,
vocalist and songwriter.
I had the opportunity to interview her (see link below)
before the show. She was thoughtful yet
no filter at the same time. She has the
southern courtesy we in the other parts of the US have heard about but rarely,
if ever, practice. How often do you
fellow Seattle-ites say hello to a stranger walking down the street?
Maggie took the stage in front of an audience that was
there to hear her sing. The room was
quiet while she performed. This is one
of the best aspects of The Sunset. If
you want to chat and hang out, you can stay in the front room where the main
bar is. If you want to actually enjoy
the performance, you can stay in the back room.
Backed with a three piece band (guitar, drums, and keys),
Maggie transformed into a vocalist of timeless proportions. As she went through songs from her three
releases (the newest being the “Dig Down Deep” EP from 2016), I kept thinking
to myself, “this is the same person I just interviewed a few hours ago”?
Her voice just wraps itself around each lyric, each
nuance of the melody, and just takes hold of the listener. Her performance Monday night had to be one of
the rawest vocal performances I’ve ever heard – and I’ve heard a lot over the
years.
For those not familiar with Maggie’s music, she sings a
mix of soul, blues, and jazz. The word
channel comes to mind – Maggie was channeling this music through her as she
mesmerized the audience at The Sunset.
Maggie sang beautiful renditions of, “He Calls Me Mama”, “French
Fur Traders”, and “I Love You, I Do” among many others. She ended with a haunting rendition of her
title song, “Dig Down Deep”, that was just jaw droppingly good. They say that a performer has to cross the
artistic line otherwise the audience won’t cross it with them. Maggie obliterated that line last night – she
took all of us on a ride through her musical world and, man, let me tell you –
it’s one heck of a world!
The evening couldn’t have been better. Two standout artists – it’s always nice
seeing local talent with, well, talent and a headliner that just absolutely
floored me. How that voice comes out of
that woman is beyond me.
I chatted briefly with Maggie after the set and she was
back to her pre-show self – no frills, pleasant, present with the fans, taking
photos and such. I commended her on the
performance, was ready to purchase CD’s that Maggie ended up giving me instead
as a thank you for the coverage (so nice of her to do), and wished her safe
travels down to Portland, the next stop on the tour.
If Maggie Koerner ever comes to your town, on any part of
the bill (hopefully headlining), go see her.
Don’t think about it, ponder it, wait on it. No.
Go. See. Her.
Cheers!
Mark
EA
Special Thanks:
Maggie for being such a genuine talent.
Thank you for doing the interview (in your van no less!), for being so
candid during it, and for bringing your tour all the way up to Seattle. I know it’s hard on the artists who have to
slug it out on the road, driving massive distances in vans to play shows. I think I speak for every fan that was there
Monday when I say that we sincerely appreciate it.
Thanks to Katie S. for setting up the interview and for
being so responsive.
Thanks to Dillon and Zak for the communication the day of
the show (and for introducing yourselves while I was just sitting in the bar
looking like a dork before the interview).
Thanks to Katie K. and Timberfoot – it was nice chatting
with both of you. I’m sure I’ll see you
at future shows!
Thanks to the Sunset staff – you’ve been treating me well
the past few shows I’ve been there. If I
lived closer, I would definitely hang out there more often. See you at the next show!
VIDEO INTERVIEW
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