Last night, Rachel Fuller played a quiet and intimate set at Barnes and Noble on 22nd and 6th.  I arrived early enough to get a great seat and some nice close-ups.

Rachel is a terrific up-and-coming singer-songwriter, and her background as a classically-trained pianist is showcased in her compositions.  Rachel impeccably performed five songs: "Cigarettes & Housework," "Shine," "Imperfection," "Just Breathe," and as an encore, "Pleasure Seeker."  Three of these are currently available on her new EP, Shine.  You can also stream a number of her songs at either her solo page at The Independent Artists’ Company, or her page of duets/compositions with Pete Townshend.

Rachel seemed a touch nervous until her hands touched the keys.  Each song had its own delicate touch, especially my favorite, "Imperfection."  Pete joined Rachel on "Just Breathe," which, like the others, was both soft and introspective.  It was interesting to note that the entire store seemingly fell silent when Rachel started playing – not just the section where her audience was seated.  With songs like these, you don’t need to fight to be heard.  Seems the quieter you are, the more people pay attention.

Rachel has four upcoming Barnes and Noble appearances in the next few months.  (If that link winds up not working, go to Store Locator and "Find an Event by Author.")  They’re free.  If you’re in the vicinity, stop by.  You’ll be glad you did.

You can also find more on Rachel at her In The Attic website.  If you haven’t seen In The Attic – a semi-regular streaming show featuring her, Mikey Cuthbert, Simon Townshend, Pete Townshend and unbelievable guests like the Flaming Lips, The Eels, Martha Wainwright and many more – it’s well worth checking out.  She’ll be doing more episodes as the Who tour progresses.

Select photos below.  You can see the whole batch here.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 12th, 2006 at 11:00 am and is filed under music, photos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.