Kristin Hingtgen @ the QCafe
Feb 8, 2010 Concerts
Posted by
Gabe
When I decided to hit the QCafe instead of the (much closer) ReVerb, it was because I really thought Valhalla Hill was playing this week. Unfortunately, Valhalla hill was at the ReVerb. I totally blew that one.
So, there I was at the Q feeling just plain stupid. Rather than be down about this obvious mistake, I made the best of it. There were two new artists to discover! I’d heard Justin Klump before, but the other two artists were new to me. Why not? I paid the full admission price and purchased a coffee (I always support the venue) set up the camera and started filming.
The first artist was just about done with his set when I walked in. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get enough video for a review. The second artist, however, did a full set in front of the lens. They’re a bluesy brother and sister duo lead by the soulful voice of Kristen Hingtgen. If I had to describe my initial reaction, I’d have to say … well … surprise.
From that small woman came such a big voice. The first song was a deep, blues piece sans instruments. That was such a brave tact to take right off. Immediately the band garnered my respect. Apparently, the crowd agreed; There is no substitute for authenticity in lyric and emotion. That said, the voice wasn’t all there was to them.
Aesthetically, the dirty, urban, neo-grunge look was a great way to dress for this style of music. It added a layer of authenticity and kept the deep lyrics from seeming contrived; There’s very little that bothers me more about a musical group than $300 sneakers, $200 haircuts and $100 manicures accompanying tortured lyrics exploring the deep pain of … what? Is lacrosse practice too hard? The deep anguish over having to drive yet another used BMW? Rant end.
Anyways, these two play their part. You can feel the hours of practice in the expressions on their faces; This is especially true for Kristin. Her facial expressions said it all: Deep concentration revealed in bunched brows, loud bellows escaping from the sides of her mouth and proper, natural turn aways from the microphone as the volume reached a crescendo.
Her brother, on the drums, could have simply tapped out a time keeping beat with sparse, meaningless accents. Fortunately for our sake, his own voice was heard through that single snare drum. Although obviously extremely limited in scope, the soft brush slides and tapping metal hits came out as well-timed, emotional compliments to the lyrics. There’s no way to judge his talent level from this performance, but that said, I can’t doubt his ability to feel the music.
As a side note, I appreciate it when a band, even if the band is sloppy, pays attention to each other. It bugs me to no end when they start playing their parts as if the other band members aren’t there. It’s usually accompanied by blank stares and glares that scream, “Hey everyone, catch up!” None of that here.
Kristin really concentrated on the deliverance of her lyrics. Despite that, her brother never got lost. He pushed right on ahead into territory they both seem to know already very well. With a clean, authentic vocal delivery and an artistically pleasing performance, I would definitely recommend catching these two for a great chill show at any local coffee shop; The sound relaxes me instantly.
Here’s a few video from the evening. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
And if that weren’t enough, here’s about 80% of the set (minus banter and a copyrighted song):
Tags: blues, Christian, Kristin Hingtgen, Qcafe, Queene Anne
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