Catching Up With Holly And Richard

Holly Miranda singing with Richard Aufrichtig at Union Pool

What do you do when two of your favorite musicians are on the same bill? You show up. So, when I heard Holly Miranda was playing Union Pool with Richard Aufrichtig opening, I bought my ticket in advance. This was a well-aligned grouping, too as both Holly and Richard make the kind of music that engages your heart and soul even as you admire their exceptional craft. Also, there's an as-yet-unreleased song by Richard called Paris that Holly sings on, which made the fit even more natural. 

This was my first trip out to Union Pool, the sprawling venue located on the border of Greenpoint and Williamsburg and housed in an old pool supply business. The barroom is huge, with cozy circular booths opposite the bar, a DJ booth and lots of open space. That's where I ran into Richard who told me to expect something different than Ocean Music, the explosive indie-rock band he leads, and also different from the two solo EPs he released a few years ago. He went off to check out something technical and I ordered a whiskey and soda, trying to dismiss the vision I had of him onstage strumming away at an acoustic. But I still didn't know what to expect. 

I wandered outside to find an outdoor space featuring another bar, a stage, and a permanently installed taco truck. This must be where all those free Summer Thunder concerts that I've missed take place. Still kicking myself that I couldn't get there for Boogarins, but the series goes through the end of August so don't count me out yet. 

A hard left from the barroom exit finds you in the performance space, which features another bar and a proscenium-arched stage with a touch of underground vaudeville. I ran into Holly at the merch table, where she was selling t-shirts she had spray painted with the motto LOVE LOUDER, with 25% of proceeds going to the Trevor Project, which helps LGBTQ youth. Yet another reason why she's one of the good ones!

Shortly after that, Richard took the stage with a solid-body electric guitar, and using sustained, droning notes from the bass strings and bright, spacious patterns on the high notes, created a whole world of sound. His voice has only strengthened and become more nuanced and versatile in the year I've known him and it was absolutely captivating. When Holly joined him on stage to sing Paris, it was a dream come true for me. The recorded version has a limber disco beat and curlicues of flute, but just their two voices and his guitar were needed for a complete take of this simultaneously melancholic and hopeful song. 

Richard finished the set with a few more songs, including an epic cover of Magnetic Fields's Papa Was A Rodeo, almost operatic in its scope and far beyond anything Stephin Merritt could attempt. The crowd hollered their approval and it seemed like he made some new fans. He should have recorded material coming out in 2018, but try to catch him live, either with or without Ocean Music. A generous and protean talent like his moves fast enough that it's hard to say what he will be doing in six months time.

People had continued coming in during Richard's set and by the time Holly got on stage with drummer Jonathan Ullman and baritone saxophonist Maria Eisen, the room was nearly full. Now, while Holly may be more well-known than Richard, she is also unafraid to constantly change, able to lay you out with a delicate, finger-picked ballad, or hype up a crowd with an all-out rocker. I knew she would be performing songs from her next album so was ready for almost anything. But the grinding, roadhouse stomp she opened up with was still a surprise and had the crowd in a tizzy from the opening notes. Eisen, a longtime collaborator, somehow managed to occupy the sonic spaces of a bass, a horn and a keyboard all at once, and Ullman more than held his own. Holly belted it out, slashing at her guitar, before bringing what may be her heaviest song ever to a thrilling close. 

Holly Miranda with her full band at Union Pool

The other new songs in the set were varied in mood, also exploring some new realms for her, and leaving me feeling mighty curious about the new album. It was also interesting that, except for a few songs with a bass player, most of Holly's time on stage was in a trio configuration. As Rebecca Kushner, the bass player in Ocean Music, mentioned after the show, this was a much rawer experience than she had anticipated from listening to Holly's albums. That was also true for the performances of older songs, Waves and All I Want Is To Be Your Girl, as well as a spectacular cover of Gloria Gaynor's disco smash, I Will Survive. Holly is one of our supreme interpreters and this was yet another example of her ability to see inside a song and deliver something novel out of the familiar. (Hint: If you were subscribing to her Patreon, you would have already heard a solo take of the song). Whether the rawness translates to the album remains to be seen, but I also have no problem with artists who have a different personality in a live context than in the studio. Take Joy Division, for example - it's almost two bands for the price of one!

The evening ended with a brief hang and the requisite selfie. I couldn't resist, not knowing when Holly and Richard will again exist at the same intersection of the time/space continuum. But maybe when her album comes out, and when his album comes out, they can go on tour together. When one dream comes true sometimes another one arises...

Me, Holly, Richard - Talent City, these two.

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