Live Review: The Copy Cat Theatre, 7/5/09, Baltimore MD

Huh? The Copy Cat Theatre in Baltimore? I had never heard of it either, and yet there it was, listed as the venue for a July 5th show on Madeline's web page. Further reading revealed a street address and apartment number; things were getting intriguing. Web searches yielded no more information as to what to expect, but according Google Earth there was parking. That pretty much sealed the deal. Nothing left to do now but hop in the car and drive to Baltimore.

My sister and I showed up just after 8, when the show was slated to begin, and after a moment spent figuring out the numbering system of the building found ourselves walking into the said loft, aka the Copy Cat Theatre. And wow. I wasn't quite sure what exactly I expected, but it wasn't this. To my left was a wall draped with hanging psychedelic murals, to the front a small but picturesque homemade stage, and to the rear a double row of rag-tag (but quite comfortable) couches, probably amassed out of grandmother's attics and Craig's list giveaways over the years. To the left and behind the stage was an obvious living space, tastefully shielded by curtains. The floors were covered with an assortment of thick rugs, which coupled with the playful art on the walls and natural lighting gave the loft a comforting warmth. We were met with smiles by a few of the proprietors (made up mainly of Baltimore art and music students) who, after expressing some amount of shock that anyone they didn't personally know had found their way to the show, described to us how they built the stage to then see if they could start bringing in acts. The first ever was roughly a week before and featured some sort of seven man circus (apparently they had a trapeze set up in the loft. How did I miss this?). This nights festivities were to feature two residents of the building (Lindsay and Sianna Plavin), Madeline, and the Ginger Envelope who tours with her out of Athens, GA. A PA mix-up delayed the start of the show until roughly 9:30, attendants slowly trickling in all the while. Time was comfortably passed, by some with tarot card readings and games of chess, by me simply through happily drinking in the atmosphere of it all.

The first to hit the small stage was Lindsay. By now roughly 20 to 25 friends and fellow performers had gathered, sitting on couches and sprawled on rugs, to listen. Her four song set was characterized by the deeply resonating reverb of her Danelectro guitar playing off the tones of her similarly deep and soulful voice (think Chan Marshall without the theatrics). The highlight of the set was a slowed down version of the Beatles "All My Loving", which allowed the songstress to show off a comfortable high register as well. Two originals were also played, the first a ukulele driven folksy gaunt which, propelled by some hand held percussion showed vision. The second was a playful spoken word collaboration. Amateur musicians should not be this talented, a little rehearsal could see Lindsay developing into a true performer.

The Ginger Envelope came on next with their indie tinged brand of alt-country. I was amazed by the quality of the mix the six man outfit got out of this set-up, a truly professional touring band. The vocals of the singer recalled Elf Power, and tended to be the focus as the group never tried to stretch it out for any instrumental heroics. This was appropriate for the ambiance of the venue however, and the 7-8 song set played out to be a huge success.

Sianna Plavin came on next, and was obviously who most of the 35 or so attendants had come to support. She, like Lindsay, filled the role of lone singer songstress, with an acoustic set of four songs about home. The music was warm and poignant. Plavin as a songwriter never makes the mistake of forgetting framework within her music. Any of her songs could have easily gotten lost in the depth of her voice, but her rhythmic guitar backing and hooky folk melodies made for compositionally very sound, and expertly performed music.

Unfortunately, the end of Plavin's set saw roughly half the audience head out before Madeline and her band came on. A part of me worried that playing a set to roughly 15 listeners for meager donations would result in a performance less than up to par. To my delight however Madeline took the stage with humility; expressing her thanks for being able to play, and her similar awe at the unique and cozy little theatre. What followed were 9-10 songs, mainly from 'White Flag' but with some 'Slow Bang' and new selections as well, played by a four piece outfit. I was surprised to not see the pedal steel or keyboard from Ginger Envelope reemerge, but it turned out that the set Madeline played was a much more muscular rather than folksy interpretation of the music. Songs like "1982" became full on rock songs, while others like "Dirty South" were treated with the strong delivery they deserve. "Lit Elephants" may have been the highlight of the night, played with the most restraint of any number in the set and featuring a pitch perfect harmony. Madeline's voice was as strong and unapologetic as ever right from the opening number, and closed the set similarly so on the anthemic "Good Houses". The singer was nice enough to exchange a few words with me after the set about some of the new songs and the upcoming record, and even sent me home with a little book of chords to many of her songs.

As all good things must come to an end, so did our roughly four hour stay at the cozy Copy Cat Theatre. It certainly doesn't get any closer to having the artist in your living room than this; I literally sat on a couch and watched four amazingly talented acts play and sing 15 feet in front of me. You dream about it; these Baltimore art students are living it. (Note to self: make artistic friends.) I don't know about you, but it definitely makes me feel a little better about the world knowing that people like this are out there.