Holly Mc Narland & the iMPS

I was really looking forward to seeing Holly's show at Juanita's because I had heard that her show at the Brick Works was absolutely amazing. It was so cool that a lot of people went to both shows because they couldn't get enough of her. I don't think that anyone was disappointed with her second show, either. In case you haven't heard, she's from Canada and MCA Records has just recently released her debut album. That evening local favorites, The Imps opened for her.

She played her entire album (there's only about 6 tracks on it) and some other newer material. Holly also threw in two cover songs; excellent selections if I do say so. The first cover was of the Ween song "Voodoo Lady" and the last song of her set was "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins. Her version shed so much new light on this song that I've been asking everyone if they have the tape so that I could borrow it. No such luck yet, I guess I could always call my mom.

Holly's presence when she sings is captivating. She's one of the few singers who can get away with closing their eyes while they sing. Usually when a singer's eyes close, the crowd's eyes wander along with their attention. But with her, you still give her your attention. She's incredibly animated, especially her face. She manages to contort her face into shapes that I didn't know humans could do. A few people were commenting on the high potential for bad live photos of her, with her mouth open wider than the Grand Canyon and more twisted than the thing that holds my bread bag closed.

The one drawback was the poor acoustics that we all know exist at Juanita's. The sound itself was good, it's just that drums always seem to get lost in the size and shape of the room. But hey, there's no such thing as a perfect venue, is there?

I've been to about three shows where The Imps were playing, but I've managed to miss them every single time. That was not the case this time; I finally saw The Imps. And let me tell you, they're pretty damn cool. Everyone in the place seemed to dig their music, too. And I must say that it's nice to see a bass player that actually plays bass; he's all over that thing. I especially liked John's (vox, guitar) comments about Holly, calling her Holly McGnarly and Holly McAwesome.

All-in-all, it was a great night for music.

-Stacy Lopez

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