Erin McKeown-n-Jill Sobule Rocked My Face Off

FIPS writers get the rep that we're a bunch of dbags who would rather bitch and complain and focus on the negatives of the neighborhood rather than all of the positives.  But come on, that's only HALF true.  Maybe it's because we love the neighborhood SO MUCH that we can't stand it when someone/something shitty rolls up and ruins it?

Maybe. 

But really, one of my favorite things about Park Slope is that you can live here forever and still discover new spots. Last night was the first time I had ever been to Union Hall (ed note: SERIOUSLY??? We have a Union Hall tag for Christ's sake! :) (702 Union Street at Fifth Ave), and my immediate reaction when I walked in was "WHY HAVE I NEVER BEEN HERE BEFORE?"

With it's book lined shelves, comfy couches, crackling fireplaces, bocce ball courts, and nice selection of beers (Red Stripe for $4? Yes we can), it was like I killed myself and ended up in some sort of booze-soaked purgatory (Do people who commit suicide go to heaven?  Who cares).

Even better, Union Hall's basement functions as a small concert venue.  Last night, Erin McKeown and Jill Sobule played two back-to-back shows.

 

I'm a big Erin fan, but had never really heard Jill save for her poppy "I Kissed a Girl" tune from the mid-90s (the original is better—suck it Katy Perry). 

I show up and she's wearing a dress with a giant female symbol on it, singing lyrics like "You called me Maurice/and I had a small moustache" and I was all like "Oh fuck, trite vagina rock, kill me."  But Sobule eventually won me over because she's just a flat-out good musician, and incredibly charming.  Check out her song, "It's a Good Life."

Erin, playing a solo set of songs from her newly released album, Hundreds of Lions (her first on Ani DiFranco's indie label Righteous Babe Records), was equally charming.  Her signature melodies coupled with a voice that sounds straight out of the 1940s (a simpler time?) didn't disappoint, although I'd love to see her with an accompanying band. 

My favorite part of the night, of course, was the Beyonce medley at the end—Erin and Jill mashing "Single Ladies" and "Survivor" together.  There's just something about indie chicks doing low-fi covers of hip-hop songs that make me smile.  Or maybe it was the 5 beers.  Who's to say?