On Saturday, March 20th at the Soho Lounge, the MPress Records day party was just getting underway on the last day of the South By Southwest Music Festival. While attendees munched on sandwiches and pursued a free drink or two in the back of the room, few people even looked up when the first act, The Mieka Canon took to the stage.
That is, until lead singer Mieka Pauley opened her mouth and began to sing. Sandwiches were quickly gulped down as the crowd moved to the front of the venue for a better look.
The Mieka Canon's lyrical folk sound is reminiscent of Tori Amos with an edgier backing band, or perhaps a female version of Jeff Buckley. The band's unique blend of powerful, poetic lyrics accompanied by melodic, rock-influenced guitars mesmerized the crowd in the smallish venue, leading many a hungover partygoer to groove along before it even hit mid-afternoon.
A highlight of the overwhelmingly good set included the haunting single "Marked Man" in which strings of all type were shunned for the power of voice and drum alone. The by-no-means cheerful lyrics drew the audience into the raw emotion of the song that would have easily done a lesser vocalist in.
The SXSW show marked a break from the band's current Northeast tour schedule. If they aren't headed to your neck of the woods anytime soon, you can also download their EP From The Mouth of Paris here.
Comments
wow thank you so so so much for the amazing review !!! we had so much fun playing the show, I am so glad you liked it. thank so much for spreading the word about us (and the EP).
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