Occasionally major record companies make decisions that just leave you scratching your head.

Like Warner Bros recently parting ways with the beautiful and amazingly talented Esthero. Hailing from Ontario, Canada both of Esthero's records have been many-layered masterpieces which stitch together styles and genres that range the entire musical spectrum.

Even more amazing is that when her first record - Breath From Another - came out, Esthero was just 17 years old. Both the majesty of her voice, and the depth of her lyrics indicated a much older artist.

So, sith a sigh of frustration (or maybe thats with a glimmer of hope?) I decided that today would be Esthero day - and that together we would toast to the hope that Esthero soon finds another label, puts out another amazing record and (for the love of God) actually tours the US.

I've never actually gotten to see Esthero play live - so today's audio selection comes to you via a promo DVD I found in the CD section of a local Half Price Books. (Have I mentioned my love for the Clearance section at Half Price Books?) I've never seen these tracks before online so this may be the first time they've ever been available on the interweb.

Taken from Esthero's peformance at Bimbo's in San Francisco back in 2005 - you have to check out her amazing rendition of Thelonius Monk's 'Round Midnight.

Oh, and check out her MySpace for some studio tracks.

Live MP3s:
'Round Midnight
Half A World Away

And here's a YouTube clip of the Lonliest Monk himself performing 'Round Midnight


And maybe just one more yummy photo of Esthero - if you'd like more Esthero photos - check here.

Labels: bimbos, concerts, major, san francisco, soundboard mp3s

Damn, isn't this just the most stunning picture of Jenny you have ever seen?

Sorry to digress - I've been waiting to use this photo in a post since I saw it in the Winter issue of Filter magazine. If you dont read the mag you should, they have good taste.

So I went to San Francisco last weekend - and the visit coincided with Jenny's stop in the city. Sweet.

All I've got to say is that I LOVE Jenny with a full band - much better then the first few acoustic shows that she did after her record came out. She also played a few new songs including "Jack Killed Mom" which may be the best solo song she's done yet (though "Happy", "Big Guns" and the Echo version of "Rise Up With Fists" are definite runner ups.) Other highlights from the show include Cold Jordan and Paradise.

Couple of notes on the show - theres some serious variance in volume between songs. I could have "fixed" this but I didn't since it was representative of the actual vibe at the show. Jenny played quiet songs, then she played rocking songs. I adjusted the volume on two songs - Met Him On a Sunday and Cold Jordan. Met Him On A Sunday had the volume increased 6 fold. For some reason Jenny and the Twins shared one mic on this song, and it barely picked them up. Also - Jenny's guitar was missing throughout all of Big Guns. You can barely hear it in the recording - it was that way at the show. The guitar you hear kick in at the chorus was Johnathan Rice's.

Quick story before we get to icing. I was staying with a friend at a fantastic (and unbelievably cheap) hotel on Van Ness street - about 6 blocks from Fisherman's Wharf. The morning of the show we decided to walk to the Wharf rather then take the bus, and had barely walked a block from our hotel when we saw a large tour bus outside a nearby Comfort Inn. I turned to my friend and said jokingly - "Look its Jenny's tour bus." Exactly TWO seconds later Jenny stepped out of the bus and walked into the hotel. Go ESP.

MP3s:
Run Devil Run
The Big Guns
Happy.
You Are What You Love
Melt Your Heart
The Charging Sky
New Song
Paradise
Rabbit Fur Coat
Rise Up With Fists
Jack Killed Mom
Born Secular
(Break)
Met Him On A Sunday
Cold Jordan

Labels: audience mp3s, bimbos, concerts, indie, live mp3s, san francisco