Review: Gregory & the Hawk / Nicole Atkins & the Sea @ TT the Bear's, 11/13

TT's booked quite the double-whammy two Thursdays ago with Gregory and the Hawk at the opener spot and Nicole Atkins at headliner to clear the bases, so to speak. Besides the fact that the two acts reside on opposite ends of the music spectrum,—GATH is to acoustic fantastical voyage as Nicole Atkins is to blowout Fourth of July bash—the bill also served as a prime example of what the music industry looks like today. Indie Label Duo, meet Major Label Diva (Mainstream Radio Airplay has never become aquainted with either.).

Gregory and the Hawk, the endearing Mike and Meredith, took the stage armed with just guitar and bass. They played a relatively short set of songs from their debut full-length album, the impressive Moenie and Kitchi. It was strange to hear the songs in a stripped down, live form; Meredith's vocals were true to their unusual, in-the-clouds character on the album, carrying favorites "Doubtful" and "Grey Weather." The surprise standout had to be "Stone Wall Stone Fence," in which Meredith seemed to channel a doll come to life coming to kill you in your sleep: "You've got a secret / But you won't share it..." GATH could not go wrong with so many strong tracks, but some kind of percussion could really add to their set (and allow them to play my favorite, "Voice Like a Bell"!).

Next came Salt & Samovar, rockers with Americana flair (and half of them part of Nicole Atkins' band, the Sea). They brought the house with their energetic folk gone wild, a nice lead-in to Nicole Atkins & the Sea's full-blown set.

The natural chemistry among Atkins and her band revealed itself from the get-go; you got the sense that this is what major label players look and sound like in the year 2008: tight, cool, natural and confident. And how satisfying it is to anticipate a big note and watch Atkins do it justice and then some with a knockout punch. Yes, a Nicole Atkins concert is a lot like fighting the computer on Easy with Roy Jones Jr. in Fight Night.

There were too many rad moments to count, but singles "Maybe Tonight" and heartbreakers' anthem "The Way It Is" stood out, along with sing-along anthem "Brooklyn's on Fire!," all off of 2007's Neptune City. Non-album cuts "Skywriters" and "Teen Creep" were favorites of mine as well - I'm a sucker for falsetto over a retro beat. We were sold on Atkins' big voice and theatrical arm waving easily enough; she made each song a celebration even when it wasn't ("If I were smart I'd never / Call you, call you ever again").

Not a bad night for ten bucks.

- Jessy Bartlett

Nicole Atkins @ TT The Bear’s: Boston’s on Fire!

Nicole Atkins took the stage shortly after midnight at TT the Bear’s Place in Cambridge Friday night. Always dressed to impress, Nicole sported a shimmery black dress over black leggings with red heels to pull off the cute but dark look she wears so well. She thanked everyone for coming out on the first official night of her first headlining tour. “This is the first time we’re playing in Boston with more than five people in the crowd!” she announced to cheers from the packed room.

WTBU caught up with Nicole last week in a phone interview to talk about the album, her first headlining tour, and her plans for the future. When asked what her favorite track on the album was, Nicole said it had to be “Cool Enough,” which she described as a song about “growing up and wanting so badly to get out of the place you come from.”

Nicole and her band the Sea played a killer live version of “Cool Enough” with an extended guitar solo at the end that had everyone feeling like we were at a rock concert. She mixed up the pace with a few slower songs as well such as album standout “The Way It Is,” which she delivered with every ounce of passion from the album version and spot-on vocals. On fan favorite “Brooklyn’s on Fire,” Nicole asked the crowd to sing along on the chorus: Fourth of, July, Brooklyn’s, on fire!

After ending the show with an earnest performance of album title track “Neptune City,” also Nicole’s hometown, things went back into rock mode for the encore. Nicole and the band came back out to play a rocking cover of Patti Smith’s “Pissing in a River” and went out with a bang.

What’s next for Nicole Atkins? When asked about her next move after her cross-country tour, Nicole told WTBU that she has already begun thinking about the next album. She revealed that she would love to work with super producer Jon Brion, best known for his Grammy nominated film scores on movie soundtracks and his work with talented artists such as Fiona Apple and Rufus Wainwright.

“I hope I didn’t just jinx it by telling you!” Us too!

Check out a clip from Friday night of Nicole singing “Neptune City” here:

Visit Nicole’s Myspace at myspace.com/nicoleatkins.

--Jessy Bartlett