Thanks to the fine folks at Losanjealous, I was able to head over to the El Rey to see Alexi Murdoch last Wednesday. I had conflicting plans the last opportunity I had to see him perform (at the Doug Fir Lounge in Portland a few years ago). I arrived a little after 9pm, to a pretty full crowd already standing around (and sitting on the dance floor). The opening act, the Portland Cello Project (or PCP as they joked), consisted of 5 cello players and a percusionist. They played a wide variety of interpretations of songs from such diverse artists as Dave Brubeck and Pantera.
After a short break out came Alexi. The place was completely quiet as Alexi began his set, and really for the most part remained that way throughout the entire set. He played a nice mix of songs from his LP and new songs from a forthcoming “long EP or short LP.” A nice surprise was that they had just received a limited run of this new materials that were hand stamped and individually numbered (I ended up getting number 26/5000). I’ve got to say, Alexi hasn’t missed a beat with the new songs. Of them, the one that’s been played over and over again is called “Through the Dark.” The album should be in stores in a few months. He doesn’t tour often, so if you get the chance, go see him. It’ll be worth it.
