I was feeling intimidated by Russian-born, Hollywood-store playing, multiple Real (looking) Album recording, gorgeous, "Marina V",
and noticed that she was playing at, of all places, RSM on Friday, so I stopped by. She sings pretty well, plays a big electronic
piano and has a guy playing guitar along but mostly inaudibly. Writes her own songs -- I listened to 4 or 5, and they all sound
pretty alike. I wonder if it's because they *are* alike, or if it's because the "sound" (her voice and the piano) is the same, or
if it's because they're all songs I've never heard so they just run together. Mostly, they're all very earnest, very serious, very
somber. She introduces each song with a little story about it ('cuz she wrote 'em), and they all have some very serious Meaning to
her ("I wrote this song while thinking about my little brother, back in Russia, who I miss very much..."). I was hard pressed not
to shout "Lighten up!" at her. The place was very sparsely populated -- probably only 4 or 5 people in the coffeeshop itself (and
one guy was clearly working on some kind of chemistry term paper on his laptop). I think she essentially sombers people right out
of the room.
She did commandeer a table at the "back" of the coffeeshop (by the magazines) (which she could afford to do, since there was almost
nobody using them), and had a little display of CDs, a tip jar, some small posters, and a little sign: "Marina V CDs, only $10". I
guess this allowed people to just serve themselves. It looked a little better than a table dedicated to holding just a tip jar (as
our analog would be). I'd be very surprised if she'd sold any, though. Or made any tips, for that matter.
I think it points up the strong symbiosis between venue/audience-type and band/music-type. K&W and RSM "match". Marina V and RSM
don't. Perhaps she's a big hit at, say, the Hollywood store. We may be completely humiliated in Hollywood tomorrow night. But,
hey, it'll be a story to tell, whichever way it goes.
