My Brightest Diamond 

Clare & the Reasons

I go to a lot of rock, pop, jazz, world, and classical concerts, but haven’t in a long time enjoyed one so much as last night’s My Brightest Diamond with Clare & the Reasons at the Cedar in Minneapolis. Old theaters such as the Cedar make the best concert venues and it was more than ample for the few dozen in attendance last night. Why so few? I think it was because Minneapolis was a late addition to the tour. I learned of it only recently through a My Brightest Diamond e-mail list, not from the usual concert announcements.

I should say at the beginning that these artists aren’t likely to appeal to the dinosaur rock or louder-is-better folks. In fact, the only consistent instrumentation throughout the evening was a viola and a cello. It was perfectly suited to the subtle, melodic, and whimsical music performed.

Clare Muldaur (daughter of Maria “Midnight at the Oasis” Muldaur) has a voice similar to her mother’s but perhaps an even lighter, sweeter version. She and her band played a selection of songs from their most recent album, The Movie. They ended with an unexpected but delightful cover of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears which, coincidentally, I’d heard on RP shortly before leaving for the concert. Notable among her band is Muldaur’s husband, Olivier Manchon, who plays guitar, bass, keys, violin, and recorder as well performing sleights-of-hand for the amusement of the audience.

Clare’s band was also the side players for My Brightest Diamond, which consists of Shara Worden and whoever is playing with her. My first recollection of Shara Worden is as the head cheerleader on a Sufjan Stevens tour. The second is seeing her playing keyboards (she played only guitars last night) in his performance on Austin City Limits. Her music is imbued with ethereal melodies, intense emotion, and literate imagery. The performance, assembled from songs from her Bring Me the Workhorse and A Thousand Shark’s Teeth albums, is leavened by badinage between Worden and Manchon.

The music was wonderful and performed with passion matched by splendid playing from the band. I smiled and laughed often. The whimsy of Shara Worden was most evident in the penultimate song which she performed with only her guitar for accompaniment while the band operated a romantic vignette of hand-held dolls that began with a color silhouette enactment of a sailing vessel carrying the lovers and continued with a variety of props. It was rendered with childlike sweetness and was utterly charming.

This concert tour is recommended for those with musical tastes beyond the pedestrian and for those who would benefit from some spirit-lifting. Here are the locations for the rest of the tour:

11/11 - St. Louis, MO - Cicero's
11/13 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
11/14 - Paonia, CO - Paradise Theater
11/15 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
11/16 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
11/17 - Kennewick, WA - The Red Room
11/19 - Seattle, WA - Triple Door
11/20 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
11/21 - Eugene, OR - WOW Hall
11/22 - San Francisco, CA - Swedish American Hall
11/24 - Santa Cruz, CA - Rio Theatre
11/25 - San Diego, CA - Casbah
11/26 - Los Angeles, CA - Hotel Cafe
11/29 - Tucson, AZ - Solar Culture
11/30 - Albuquerque, NM - The Cooperage
12/03 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
12/04 - Little Rock, AR - Sticky Fingerz Chicken Shack
12/05 - Birmingham, AL - The Bottletree
12/06 - Knoxville, TN - Square Room
12/07 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl
12/09 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
12/10 - Charlottesville, VA - Gravity Lounge
12/11 - Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel
12/12 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
12/13 - New York, NY - (Le) Poisson Rouge