Michelle Malone

. . . RAUCOUS AND JUBILANT. . . SOMEWHERE BETWEEN LUCINDA WILLIAMS AND SHELBY LYNNE COMES MICHELLE MALONE ALTERNATING BETWEEN SOULFUL BALLADS AND ROWDY, RIFFY BLASTERS.
–Rolling Stone

And we got both last night in downtown Bristol, site of Lucinda’s upcoming headliner in September at Rhythm and Roots Festival. Who knows if Lu will play on the Tennessee or the Virginia side, but Michelle played TN, a place called 602 State St. Restaurant. Despite a lingering post-prom, post-graduation crowd when she started, MM’s compelling presence sifted the wheat from the chaff and soon got a number of people standing up front, keyed in. Despite a 9:30 start listing and a five dollar cover, no money was collected, probably because dozens and dozens of diners were still finishing dessert when she walked on at 10:10. I’ve seen her several times and have always admired her refusal to go on unless the sound system was first-rate. I’ve seen her walk off and order her band off to the side too, for 10-15-20 minutes at a time. That didn’t happen last night, but despite an apparent soundcheck hours earlier, things were dicey. MM called a lot of technical terms back to the sound guy, and it was prob 10:20 ere the first tune was played. [Aside to tntracy: this incarnation of the band had a female drummer again, but an unanorexic one] The guitars back of stage were not of Pettibone quantity, but Michelle had a half dozen at least, alternating nicely. A near 10-minute version of “Flagpole” was one of the highlights, also “Avalon” and the title track from Debris. She has apparently moved back to Decatur, GA from Decatur, AL, as the two new guys in the band live in Atlanta.

I’m afraid I disappointed the lesbian contingent (not an insignificant demographic) last night. At setbreak I reservedly requested “My Green Thumb,” to which MM said yes and kept walking. It didn’t get played, but at encore she fended off a few shouted titles by saying, “I forgot; I have to play this one for this fellow.” A faintly audible groan ensued from up front, perhaps due to the gender connotations of the noun “fellow.” Still, this tune (about a stalking fan of indeterminate gender) proved popular, and the final encore song was a request by two women, a song I didn’t know. I love malone’s live shows; last night she apologized for not talking more to the fans, because she was “in a happy guitar zone up here.” And thank God for it.

All this from a woman who once sang the National Anthem at a Braves’ home game. My goodness.