Live Review: Dana Gehrman, Emily Massingham, Moses

Caxton St’s Brewski is a mixed bag of Brisbane talent tonight, boasting jazz, Motown records, country rock and face painting to boot. As well as being local lass Dana Gehrman’s single launch, it’s also the Mexican holiday of Day of the Dead. Glittered sugar skulls adorn the faces of patrons over the course of the evening courtesy the talented hand of artist Melanie Hughes (aka Melliimoo) of Embellishments, adding a surreality to the night.

Emily Massingham takes to the stage first, her music a beguiling blend of the sweet and the sharp. Her lyrics are in turn biting and vulnerable, and her voice at times evokes the fragility of Beth Orton. Massingham’s jazz background shows in the way her songs play with structure and tempo. This adds a complexity to her music, and even an awkardness to earlier songs as they bend and flex. A newer song moves away from the complicated style and allows some space for her vocal in the dreamy textures, and the Beach Boys’ classic God Only Knows gets a wonderful jazz treatment.

Dancing is the only option with DJ Moses playing between the two sets, and in the hours after Gehrman’s performance. Motown classics and modern cuts from Jamie Lidell get toes tapping, and the strangely funky counting song best known from Sesame Street by the Pointer Sisters is an off-beat but welcome inclusion.

With a full band in tow, and a few guitar changes and pedals up her sleeve, Dana Gehrman’s Americana-infused rock rounds out the night. Her smoky alto is perfect for the mid-tempo groove of her own Howling Wolves, as well as a cover of Lucinda Williams’ Essence. Another two covers give further insight into the direction of Gehrman’s writing and guitar style: a Fleetwood Mac double of Dreams and the rolling epic instrumental, Albatross. The latter shows off both her own talent on guitar and the interplay between the band. Single, Under The Wire is a real treat with its touch of rockabilly, and B-side, Hey Baby shows a more ragged edge, with its beefed up vocals and roaring solo to finish. Sure there are the sultry voice and growling guitar licks – but how do you know when a true cowgirl is in the house? When she’s giving away a shot of whiskey with every sale of her CD and truck-emblazoned merch tee. A night of fun from start to finish.