[DID NOT ATTEND: May 6, 2022] Joanna Sternberg / Lucius: Free at Noon
I scored a ticket to this Free at Noon show because I have been very curious to see Lucius live. I absolutely love about half of their songs. And I rather don’t like many of their other songs. So it’s been a toss up whether I really want to see them. This Free at Noon seemed like the perfect way.
Then I found out that they were sharing the bill with Joanna Sternberg.
I don’t know anything about her, so it’s no offense to her, but I didn’t want to see such a short Lucius set (most Free at Noons are barely 40 minutes, so it seemed crazy to drive all that way for… 20?
So I stayed at work.
This session took place during Non-COMM, which probably meant that it was really really crowded. Turns out they only played six songs, although they are probably the six I mist wanted to hear. So maybe I should have gone.
Although I was seeing Pup that night, so I guess, maybe not.
Turns out Joanna Sternberg is a kind of anti-folk singer. She had a high almost child-like voice. And she sings pointed lyrics. I have since listened to one of her songs from Non-COMM and quite liked it. I wouldn’t buy her music, but I would enjoy seeing her as an opening act.
As the blurb says
When a performer opens their set with the lyric “Glad to meet you, now I see / just how very much I hate me,” it’s almost like the gloves are off. We’re not tiptoeing around what these songs are about, we’re getting right into it. The Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Joanna Sternberg did exactly this with their NON-COMM set, but with a hitch — their music wasn’t melancholy in the slightest. “People Are Toys To You,” the song in question, was built on catchy acoustic strums; other songs took a fingerstyle approach, one was beautifully delivered on piano. Sternberg’s music is tender, but serene and often full of joy, even as it probes dark corners of the soul.
Since the Free at Noon is well documented, here’s what she played
- People Are Toys To You
- I’ve Got Me
- Don’t You Ever
- The Song
- Mountains High
- This Is Not Who I Want To Be
Sadly there is no stream available.
Lucius is a band created by Co-lead singers Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, and they are the absolutely highlight of the band. Their vocals (and their look–they always dress identical onstage) are amazing. For this show the rest of the band included guitarist Peter Lalish and drummer Dan Molad were joined by bassist-singer Solomon Dorsey and guitarist Alex Pfender for this performance.
- Next To Normal
- Promises
- Man I’ll Never Find
- Two of Us
- Heartbursts
- Turn It Around
You can stream their set here.
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