Juana Molina (opening for David Byrne), State Theater, Portland, Maine, USA, (May 30, 2004)
Barbara Truex ("B.T.") and Christopher White ("C.W.") wrote this review together. In the review, their individual comments are preceded by their initials.

C.W.: The State Theater has a history like many other spaces scattered across North America. It began as a vaudeville theater in the heart of a vibrant small city's downtown. As entertainment tastes changed it morphed into a movie "palace." During the era of suburbanization it went into decline, showing porn before going dark for decades. With the revival of downtown Portland, the State Theater was partly restored and resurrected as a music venue.

The current regime is connected to Stone Coast, a craft brewer. There is no fixed seating in the front half of the space which presumably allows it to become a mosh pit for certain shows. For this event, seats were in place and we were delighted to be a comfortable ten rows or so from center stage. With no fanfare, David Byrne himself walked on stage to introduce Argentinean singer Juana Molina. Byrne, in his trademarked dry and wry way, related how he'd been buying a CD on-line by some odd Icelandic act and on a whim also ordered one of Molina's disks, listed among the 'If you like this, perhaps you'll also like...' grouping. He liked her enough to invite her to be the opening act for a long leg of his current tour behind the release of "Grown Backwards," on Nonesuch.

B.T.: In a world where one gets ahead most often by pushing, bribing, and generally being a pain, it was inspiring to see Byrne bring Molina to the tour because he liked her music. He certainly wanted to make that clear to the audience too. Introducing her to the crowd himself tells me that he is still an artist whose focus is the music, plain and simple.

C.W.: Unfortunately, the venue staff, with their vested interest in selling beer, saw no compelling reason to close the bar at the back of the hall when Molina and her accompanist, Alejandro Franov, took the stage and began to play. Despite the respectful attention being given by the majority of the audience, the din of the 'F *o# the opening act, gimme a beer!' posse at the back made it difficult to fully appreciate the delicacy and nuances Juana Molina brought to bear during her set of fascinating originals. The State Theater has difficult acoustics at best and the front of house mix could have been better as well.

Despite the trying circumstances, Juana Molina delivered a compelling set with great poise and good humor. I wish I remembered more -heck, any- of my Spanish lessons so I could comment on the lyrics, but alas, I'm a typical monolingual American. Whatever the meaning of the lyrics, her voice is lovely. At times it had a breathy timbre which, combined with her acoustic guitar, one might have assumed would result in a retro chanteuse effect. However many Joni Mitchell and Edith Piaf recordings Ms. Molina might have in her collection, I suspect they get no more earplay in Casa Molina than Stereolab or Moby or various indie trip hop artists.

Molina's partner, Franov, mostly added synth, which at times melded with Juana's voice into washes of angelic harmony, while at others went burbling and skronking down interesting tangential sonic alley ways. He also added vocals and, on a few tunes, electric guitar. Molina also made use of a digital delay to loop her guitar lines and a synth of her own which she used primarily to create percussive effects. Each song seemed to hold in balance the diverse influences which might, in less capable hands, have become an annoying pastiche, but Molina deftly managed to integrate them into a unified whole uniquely her own.

B.T.: Her frequent, though not exclusive, use of drones and repetitive patterns for accompaniment provided a foundation for an often chant-like vocal, embracing both new technology and a melodic sensibility passed down through the ages. Female musicians (especially "girls with guitars") are often stereotyped as people who shun electronics and are not strong instrumentalists. Not so in this case. She is comfortable with her equipment, experiments with sounds and techniques to get what she wants and is not afraid of noise or beauty. Unfortunately, I suspect that a certain amount of subtlety was lost in this particular hall - all the more reason to get that CD.

C.W.: Ms. Molina's Spanish language web site reveals that she is Buenos Aires-born and, despite her long-standing career as a singer/songwriter, she is perhaps better known to fellow Argentineans as a TV comedienne. Due to the political situation in her homeland, her family spent six years in Paris which undoubtedly added to the cross-cultural, genre breaking nature of her music.

For the last number in her perhaps forty minute set, Mauro Refosco, the percussionist in Byrne's ensemble, joined Juana and Alejandro, adding talking drum to the mix. It was obvious that the three were having a blast as they used Molina's tune as a jumping-off point for some righteous rhythmic riffing.

During the short break before David Byrne and company took the stage, we talked a bit about the bipolar nature of being an opening act. The negatives are obvious, especially having a relatively short set in which to win over an audience anxious for the main act to take the stage. So are some of the pluses, especially the (presumably) decent money and being heard by far larger audiences. The chance to spend a few weeks in the company of other excellent musicians is another opportunity to grow and expand. As the impromptu trio that ended Molina's set revealed, she's made good use of that factor.

All in all, if we are any guide, the pluses for Juana Molina should in the end outweigh all the negatives for her on this tour. Like David Byrne, we'll be going on-line or dropping by the local music store to order one of Molina's CDs, which we'll in turn play for friends while extolling her many musical virtues. Who knows, maybe we'll take a chance on some odd little band from Iceland in the "If you like Juana Molina, you might also enjoy..." listings.

Following an "intermission" no longer than the ten minutes or so it took to clear Juana Molina and Alejandro Franov's equipment from the stage, David Byrne and his current touring unit took the stage. As befits his status as not only a musician, but as a visual artist and collaborator with filmmakers, choreographers and so on, everyone wore a uniform. It was sort of a cross between Maoist era garb and a chef's uniform in either gray or brown. Byrne wore a black jump suit over a black shirt. Late in the evening he really loosened up and unbuttoned his top button.

Given that everyone on stage would prove their high level of talent, energy and musicality in no uncertain terms during the long (two hours plus) set that followed, they all deserve individual credit. In addition to Byrne on vocals and guitar and his long time compatriot, the aforementioned percussionist, Mauro Refosco, the former Talking Heads front man was joined by Graham Hawthorne on drums, Paul Frazier, (left handed - five stringed) bass and the Tosca Strings. The Tosca Strings consist of Leigh Mahoney, Tracy Seeger, and Jamie Desautels on violins; Ames Asbell, viola; Sara Nelson and Douglas Harvey, cellos.

The first number was composed by Byrne for the movie "Dirty Pretty Things" and showcased Refosco on marimba. For the next two hours, without a break, Byrne and company worked their way through a magical set and a couple of well deserved encores that included material from nearly every portion of Byrne's career, inside and outside the Talking Heads. There were even a few cover tunes including a piece (I believe titled "Underground") by Cesaria Evora, "Lamb Chop," introduced by Byrne as by a "guy in Nashville," and even Verdi's "Un di Felice, Eterea" which is on Byrne's "Grown Backwards" CD.

Among the "greatest hits" were "I Zimbra" on which the Tosca Strings proved they were fully capable of rocking out, "Home" where the sound of marimba and strings blending was pure magic. The strings took a break for a rocking version of "Road to Nowhere." Whether responding to the request shouted from the crowd or simply because it is such a 'signature' tune, Byrne did a take on "Psycho Killer" that was to die for (pardon the pun.) His vocal on this version was quieter and less frenetic than some previous takes, but the strings made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. "Road to Nowhere," "Life During Wartime," "Blind" and "Heaven" were also drawn from the Heads' catalogue. "Like Humans Do," "The Great Intoxication" and "Smile" were among the pieces from earlier in Byrne's post-Heads solo career. [Let me here credit April Boyle's review that appeared in the Portland Press Herald on June 1, 2004. I was able to transform some of my cryptic and abbreviated notes into something far more useful by referring to her superbly detailed coverage of the show.]

Among the things I haven't yet mentioned are how impressed I was with Byrne's own musicianship. His guitar playing, while seldom flashy, was excellent, his voice was supple and in fine form. His unique style of movement added another layer of delight to the performance. I found myself thinking he must have picked up more than a composer credit from his collaboration with Twyla Tharp.

B.T.: In most senses of the word, it was an acoustic rock concert. Perhaps you could call it "semi-plugged." String sextet, percussion, marimba, trap set - all acoustic instruments. The bass and Byrne's guitar were the only electric items. It falls somewhere in between a small orchestra and a large folk group playing "world rock." The programming of the songs was smooth and invigorating, easily incorporating some left turns like "Once in a Lifetime" to the Verdi piece. It was perfectly logical and brought out the advantages of having a string sextet with a rock rhythm section.

All in all, this was a fantastic concert. I couldn't have asked for more. To be introduced to a marvelous new artist (at least to us here in the USA) like Juana Molina and to see a true icon proving that an artist can continue to grow and move forward without denying or abandoning their past was an unadulterated treat. If one, the other, or, better still, both, these artists appear within a couple of hours drive you owe it to yourself to go. You won't be disappointed.

[Christopher White & Barbara Truex]