Kristin Hersh, Music Millenium, Portland

her husband (or someone who i'm 90% sure is her husband) introduced her after "tuning" her guitar. he said she'd be back with a band and a proper show in mid- to late-may. he said the in-stores were a promotional tour.

she strummed a chord after getting on stage. "this sounds funky, and not in a good way," she said and re-tuned. the short set was over half from the new album, drumming up interest, engaging in the need to sell one's art in order to live off it.

i got there at quarter til, early enough to get close, but late enough to miss a seat in the couches in front of the stage. by the end of the show i looked around and saw that i was quite close, relatively speaking, to the stage. it was a small crowd, but clearly we were the dedicated few. there was one guy spastically dancing, one girl bopping around, and the lesbians, several months later, who i remember making out at the jimmy maks show back in august or september; the affectionate display was less pornographic this time.

when she played "gazebo tree" (which, unless i've got the songs confused, is based on a conversation she had on a bus in chicago) i harkened back to when i figured out "close your eyes" on guitar--i still lived with my mother, and i'm pretty sure my rendition at the time bordered on torture (sorry, mom). she didn't play "close your eyes", but she ended on "your ghost"--i had to restrain myself from filling in the michael stipe backing vocals from the album (you're welcome in-store crowd!).

she played "your dirty answer", introducing it as off of sunny border blue, to which an audience member hooted. "ahh, so you're the one who bought it," kristin quipped. "i have it, too, but i didn't have to pay for it."

and, hence, the promotional tour. pimping the new cd ($12.99 on sale now at music millenium!!!) to an audience who apparently has become somewhat indifferent. they played tracks from the new cd before and after the show, and it's good. i'll get it soon for sure, but my dough is all tied up in food and rent at the moment (you know, futures (and a little presents)). and looking forward to when i do get it, i should be good and ready to torture my roommate with some new kh tracks having seen her play some of them live already.

as an afterthought, i really should've taken her up on her offer of signing my (or anyone's) nipples. oh well, next time, i guess...