Dark and light, serious and funny, treated a sold out audience at the last night to a multi-sided performance, kicking off the first night of the fifth annual Communikey Festival. (.)
Without introduction, Anderson walked on stage wearing slacks and an untucked white shirt with a thin black tie. Floor candles surrounded her on an almost bare set, save for an upholstered chair next to a window-sized video screen and a small keyboard with a violin on a stand.
Her violin conveyed an orchestral feel with a layered electronic sound that often vibrated the room. On keyboards, she sang and told stories, alternating between her own voice and the affected, authoritarian deep tones of her alter ego, Fenway Bergamot.
She wove a tale about the American Revolution into a modern day reminder of how our government has decided that “We might be the enemy,” in reference to the National Defense Authorization Act that legalizes the arrest and killing of U.S. citizens without trial if they are suspected enemies of the state. She detailed her visit to the tent city of homeless people in Lakewood, N.J., where feral chickens roosted in trees as if they were a strange new species.
Perhaps to rescue the audience from despair, she called on a chestnut from Willie Nelson, who said that everyone in the world is with the wrong person, but “Thatap what makes the jukebox spin.” There were video clips of her beloved dog, Lolabelle, playing piano. She asked those in the audience who did not believe they were even a little superstitious if they “…would wear the sweater of a serial killer?” Didn’t think so.
“When you think about it,” said Anderson toward the end of her 75-minute set, “Most things that could happen, don’t happen.” Maybe the audience wasn’t exactly sure what had happened when Anderson came back for a short violin encore, but they were glad she did.
Follow our news and updates on , our whereabouts on and our relationship status on . Or send us a telegram.
Denver-based writer Sam DeLeo is a published poet, has seen two of his plays produced and recently completed his novel, “As We Used to Sing.” His selected work can be read at
Michael McGrath is a Denver area photographer. His work is available at . Visit .
