Last night was another wonderful concert event with Rachel Fuller.  (That’s two in one week!)  At the intimate Joe’s Pub on Lafayette St, Rachel presented  IN THE ATTIC – which, if you’ve followed Rachel at all, you’ll know is an extension of her hugely successful IN THE ATTIC webcasts, featuring performances and collaborations by a variety of artists.

Each artist performed a few solo songs and a few collaborations.  Martha, Pete and Rachel joined Foy for "Indiscriminate Act of Kindness," Pete and Rachel joined Martha for "Factory," Rachel joined Pete for "In The Ether," and Pete joined Rachel for "Just Breathe."  For the finale, the group sang "I’m One" and "Shine (Theme From IN THE ATTIC)."

After the show, there was a meet & greet with the artists and many familiar friends and fans.  Although Martha wasn’t there, Foy, Pete and Rachel posed for many photos and made a lot of people very happy.

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.

(note September 2007:  This post gets more spam comments than any other on the site, so I’ve closed it for new comments.  If you have something you want to contribute, please contact me at jason at jasonhare dot com and I’ll post it for you.)

Last week, I saw KT Tunstall at one of WPLJ’s "Up Close and Personal" concerts.  (Thanks for the ticket, Andi.)  As with the previous shows I caught at Mercury Lounge and Bowery Ballroom, KT sounded great, was in great spirits, and the band was tight.  I don’t think I’ll be heading to see her again until she has something new to promote (I imagine she’s contractually obligated to play the entire Eye To The Telescope CD and little else), but if you haven’t seen or heard her, she’s worth a look-see.

I was able to get some pretty good close-up shots as well – check ’em out here.

I posted a couple times on my previous blog about KT and how much I really dig her.  Note my comment in that linked post: "Her music is catchy, she has a tremendous voice, and the tricks she does with her loop pedal (nicknamed "Wee Bastard," which is what she calls it whenever it breaks) are pretty clever. She makes me want to buy one."

My wonderful wife, clearly picking up on this painfully obvious hint, bought me the Akai E2 Headrush pedal for my birthday.  It’s tons of fun, although I feel sorry for my downstairs neighbors, who have to listen to me loop my voice anywhere from 2 – 8 times over.

My only frustration has been that KT is somehow able to loop both her guitar and her voice through that one pedal.  The pedal only has one output, so as far as I can tell, it’s either voice or guitar, not both.  I’ve tried using an adapter to use both, but it hasn’t worked.

I’m about to get all technical and nerdy here, so discussion on the Wee Bastard (as well as a couple of live mp3s) after the jump.
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