I wanted to make sure I mentioned one of the favorite albums of 2009… Zee Avi’s self titled album. I can’t tell you how many late nights I spent listening to this album on repeat. Her sound is “jazzy folk”, simple songs with some great melodies. Zee is from Malaysian and got her “break” on youtube. Since then shes been playing at festivals and just passed through Seattle last month a small tour.
The show was at the Crocodile Cafe, and this was my first time going there since they remodeled it. OMG…what a makeover! Gone is the large flat music room, with the annoying bar in the middle. Now its “smaller” type feel, with a larger stage and a balcony. I think this is my favorite Seattle club…. especially since they didn’t seem to care about cameras (figures…. since I went through the effort of getting a photo pass).
You know how when there’s an artist you really like, and they end up being horrible live? Yea I was a little nervous…. I’m happy to state that that was NOT the case here. Zee is not nearly as mellow and quiet as I thought she was. Not only did her voice sound exactly like the album, but she had a band as well. And shes funny! Shes generally a lot more charming on stage than I thought she would be.
Photography notes: When it comes to photography, I’m going to take back what I said earlier about this being my new favorite club. The lighting was horrible! The didn’t use a spotlight at all, and just illuminated Zee in colored lights. Even my 1.4 aperture lens was having difficulty getting enough light to get a fast shutter speed. My photographer friend has a full frame camera, and literally smoked my Canon 40d. Sigh…. Just when you think you’ve finally made all your photography purchases, and have all the lenses you need….. there will yet be something else. While I don’t see myself saving up for a full-frame camera (its a lot of money for a amateur), I do see myself upgrading to a 7D….eventually.
Here’s is the song that originally hooked me in:
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