Howling at Lincoln Center

hello angels,

Last night, I arrived to Lincoln Center to find two packed lines and two graceful people trying to calm the wieldy crowd. I timidly checked in with one of them, and was led around to the back of the building to join the good people of Verve, a really cool record label (Ella Fitzgerald was their first artist) inside.

Over the past year, I've had the privilege of getting to know a few different artists at Verve, like interviewing Madison Cunningham or hanging out in the Verve Vault for an hour just listening to vinyls in their collection.

Last winter, when I was hanging out in the vault, I remember putting on this decadent Bossa Nova record with gorgeous yellow casing. Last night, I heard Bossa Nova re-imagined at the concert of Mei Semones.

Who she is

Mei Semones is a Brooklyn guitarist and songwriter from Ann Arbor. She studied jazz guitar at Berklee, and she writes and sings in English and Japanese, mixing jazz, bossa nova and indie pop. Her new album, Howl, comes out January 15 with Verve.

Why it was so good

The concert started with such a delicate sound, just her, her guitar, the violinist, and the viola player. As the set progressed with music got thicker, and the whole set sounded like a composition, changing in tension and structure, providing the perfect rollercoaster of catch and release. Everyone was captivated-- by Mei's guitar playing, but the synchronous nature of the whole band, and by the unreleased songs we got to hear.

Thank you, Verve

Big thanks to the Verve team for hosting me last night and for championing some really talented, really skillful artists on their label.

Why music is so amazing

Music is everything. Last year someone told me that music is so universal because the part of the human brain that's receptive to it is extremely old. We write to music. We cook to music. We run to music. You should think of your whole life as one big song.

Come hear us play

On Thursday, November 5, I'm playing my first show, the Hot Literati Showcase at Berlin, 25 Avenue A in the East Village. Bobby Steel and UmaSofia are playing too. Doors are at 9, and my set is after 9:30. 21+, $15.

Tickets: https://www.ticketweb.com/event/hot-literati-showcase-berlin-tickets/14352744

hope to see u guys there!

If you want to hear Mei: Howl is out January 15, and she plays Webster Hall on March 6.

xx

hailo