A Tall Drink of Holly Miranda

Holly Miranda at Boot & Saddle - Photo by Lindsey Borgman

Every national tour has its share of disasters, whether it's tour van break down, or equipment theft.  The tour featuring Holly Miranda with Ambrosia Parsley + Chris Maxwell seemed to get it all out of the way, before Miranda ever made the stage at Philadelphia's Boot & Saddle.  Looking past Ambrosia Parsley's wardrobe malfunction (went missing off a MegaBus) and the paltry crowd (I'm looking at you Philly music fans), Holly Miranda and band had everything rocking in the right direction.

Ambrosia Parsley + Chris Maxwell

To start the night the Chris Maxwell warmed up the crowd, only to be joined by partner Ambrosia Parsley (formerly of Shivaree & Kill Bill 2 Soundtrack fame) for her first show in quite a while.  With her soft and affected voice and his skillful guitar playing, they warmed up the crowd despite some terribly sad songs.








“This is the most honest thing I’ve ever made; it’s very raw and is a contrast to what I’ve done in the past,” is what Holly Miranda says about her self-titled new record, Holly Miranda.  While filled with wide ranging influences, it could have gone the way of many misguided genre hopping albums.  Instead, the diverse Holly Miranda shows off as a very thorough catalog of where she is musically.  Her stage show brings that to the next level with a rocking band including Maria Eisen on baritone sax.   Showing off influences and styles ranging from KT Tunstall, Motown, Regina Spektor, and more, her voice was wispy at times, but powerful when needed.  She rocked in all the right places, giving the crowd a "tall drink of Holly."

"Mark My Words", kicks off the album and kicked off the show.  Seeing the sax and bass combo live really, brought the song to life. Miranda and band mixed in works from Holly Miranda, The Magicians Private Library, a new tune, and an amazing cover of Morphine's "Mary Won't You Call My Name?" with a bit Eddie Vedder angst.  Ambrosia Parsley joined her for "The Only One" during the short piano section of the set.  Overall the set was adventurous with a band capable of the journey.  The revised "Joints" was worth the risk bringing up the intensity several turns.  Hits "All I Want Is To Be Your Girl" and "Everlasting" sealed the deal, for a great night.




Set List - 
Holly Miranda @ Boot & Saddle
September 16, 2015
1.  Mark My Words -                      Holly Miranda
2.  Waves -                    The Magicians Private Library
3.  Desert Call                               Holly Miranda
4.  All I Want Is To Be Your Girl  Holly Miranda
5.  Come On                                  Holly Miranda
6.  The Only One                          Holly Miranda
7.  All of the Way                      New unreleased
8.  Mary Won't You Call My Name?    Morphine Cure For Pain   
9.  No One Just Is              The Magicians Private Library
10. Joints                          The Magicians Private Library
11. Everlasting                             Holly Miranda           
     

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Photos by Lindsey Borgman when marked. Otherwise by Dan McGurk (trust me, you can tell the difference)
Posted by Root Down in the Shadow on Thursday, September 17, 2015

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