SOUNDTRACK: ADIA VICTORIA-NonCOMM 2019 Free at Noon (May 15, 2019).
I saw Adia Victoria do a Tiny Desk Concert back in 2016. I liked her and thought it would be interesting to hear her when she wasn’t holding back for a Tiny Desk. And here she is rocking out.
Her music is a little hard to pin down, she describes it as blues, but there’s a lot more going on:
her songs were structured like mainstream R&B hits, but in her most memorable moments Victoria turned away from the traditional styles of blues and soul, and turned instead toward something more macabre–like the moody trip-pop of Billie Eilish.
This sound is the direction she went in on her new album.
The set began with “The Needle’s Eye” as a pulsing synth morphed into a danceable rhythm (electric and acoustic drums). Victoria sang in a breathy voice. After the chorus, two saxophones provided a noisy distorted solo. She sang “I’ve been a fool, I’ve been afraid, I’ve been asleep, but now I’m awake.”
She introduced herself “My name is Adia Victoria. This is my band. We done come all the way up from Nashville to play my blues for you.” Then, after a beat, “Lucky you.”
Her introduction for “Different Kind of Love” was brief and mirthless. “It’s about getting dumped,” she shrugged, without even a moment of heartache over the one who dumped her.
This song continues in that dark vein with rumbling drums providing most of the “melody” along with more sax.
Up next was “Bring Her Back,” which she called “a song for my ancestors.” This song used an organ to change the tone.
Victoria played “Heathen” at the Tiny Desk on an acoustic guitar. I thought it would be better louder. And it was. Especially knowing its origins:
As she introduced her final song, “Heathen,” Victoria mentioned some of the frustration she experienced as a young woman with dreams of becoming a professional performer. “My little voice would break and my knees would shake, but I had this song and I made no mistakes,” she rhymed. Victoria explained that she wrote the song “after I realized that there were two sets of rules — one for men, and one for women. When it came time to gettin’ your freak on, I was very naïve. So I wrote this song. It’s a nice little ‘screw you’ to the patriarchy. We play it tonight for every single woman in Alabama right now who’s got these men trying to make moves on their body. We say, ‘That’s bullshit.’” Victoria had aimed her criticism at Alabama’s state legislature, which recently passed a highly restrictive anti-abortion bill…. “This song is called ‘Heathen’ and it’s about giving no fucks,” she declared before counting it off.
The song was much darker and more raw than the Tiny Desk version. It also felt a lot more bluesy than her newer songs (with a lot of sax blowing around the simple chord pattern).
She finished with a gritty chorus of improvised scatting; each syllable landed somewhere between a laugh and a snarl. Afterward, she addressed the Philadelphia crowd resolutely once more and gave a single deep bow. “Thank you, goodnight.”
Adia Victoria is an intriguing performer for sure and I’m curious how her sound will expand in the future.
[READ: May 20, 2019] “Taking Pictures”
Two days ago I posted a story about someone stealing pictures. Now here’s the title “Taking Pictures.” They are not related in any other way.
This story is about a woman who has just gotten engaged. And her relationship with Sarah at work–the bitch.
Sarah is
a washed-out sort of strawberry blonde with fine bones and small features. She is fading to white. She is constantly insulted by men.
Sarah at work also has a personality problem
Which is to say her problem is that she does not like other people’s personalities.
The narrator is surprised that Sarah is seeing someone. Sarah says he won’t “do Saturdays.” Maybe he’s a bisexual.
As the narrator and Frank go over their wedding guest list Frank says don’t invite Sarah if you hate her. But the narrator says she can’t leave her out…it just doesn’t work that way.
The narrator tells Sarah about her dress while they have nipped out for coffee. Sarah makes her laugh about Gary in security’s hairy neck.
Frank says to invite Sarah over for dinner if all they do is get hammered and miserable.
At dinner everyone gets drunk quickly. Sarah’s boyfriend’s hands are small and unpleasant. His name is Fiach.
Fiach and Frank start talking about camera technology and birding.
The narrator suggest that maybe Fiach could do their wedding photos but no one seems to hear her.
As Sarah leaves, the narration thanks her for coming and days “Jesus, Sarah, I’m scared”
After they are gone, she starts to dance, swinging her backside
I sit down on the air and then push up into it. I say “Fuck you Sarah. Hey, fuck you,” pushing up with my joke penis made of air.
At times I was confused by this story. I get the whole thing that she hates Sarah bu they’re like best friends or whatever. But there’s a lot of strange things here. Like the pronoun usage here:
“Olympus,” says Frank, but before Fiach can turn away from her Sarah says, “Fiach likes taking pictures.”
I’ve tried to unpack that sentence several times.
And this exchange. The narrator shows her the ring.
So what brought this on? said Sarah
“Just,” I say.
“Just” she said “You’re just getting married.”
Later–drunk of course–she leans back in her chair and says, “So he;s into pain, then, is he?”
“Well, obviously.”
And then the air penis. I really don;t know what’s going on, I guess.
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