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Review:
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I always meant to see Holly Golightly. I’m not exactly sure why it hasn't worked out before. However, on this Tuesday evening at The EARL, there were only two acts, and therefore it seemed like a good night to catch her, as it was likely that the show would end at a decent hour.
It was a surprise, then, when it got to nearly 10:30 pm and Oregon based opener Tom Heinl hadn't come on the stage. Once he finally did come on, he immediately came across as something of a novelty act. Singing along to a prerecorded backing track, at times he felt like an interesting combination of humorous honky tonker and smooth lounge lizard. Furthermore, with songs about an ingrown nail on the Oregon Trail, the psychological effects of have a threeway, and IHOP, it's easy enough to see why he got knowing chuckles from the mainly trendster audience. Yet underneath this persona, there is a element of musical knowledge and experience, which suggests Heinl is more than a one trick pony.
As an example, most of the songs featured multiple key changes. In fact, as his set went on, this became something of my own in-joke. During each song, I would sit around and wait for the end of a chorus, just knowing a key change would be a-coming. And lo and behold, almost every time, there it was. Likewise, by "reading" from a (theoretical?) childhood journal, Heinl seemed to be inadvertently teasing artists like Robyn Hitchcock, whose performance can be, at times, a bit like self-indulgent spectacle.
I truly did enjoy Heinl's set and felt that it was a bit short, at something like 30 minutes. Admittedly, I did feel like I was watching a knowledgeable hipster Indie rock humor fest. Still, he certainly went over well with the growing crowd. Looking back, I would definitely recommend him to a certain group of friends and acquaintances.
After Heinl left the stage, we stood around, waiting for the headliner to come on, as The EARL continued to fill up. And we waited, and waited, and waited a bit more. But, after nearly 45 minutes, Holly Golightly showed no evidence of going on. With it being the afore-mentioned weeknight, and as I have what is known as a "day job", I sadly called it an evening and went home.
In the end, Heinl was a decent enough performer, but not solid enough to carry the entire evening. However, he definitely took the stage in a relatively timely manner and entertained a receptive crowd. Considering the rest of the evening, that's no small feat.
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