DWNTWN Concert Series, Jan 9 2009: Rachel Goodrich & Jacob Jeffries
It was Wednesday, January 7, around 2 o'clock and I walked over to Cacique's Corner to get my afternoon Cafe con Leche. Waiting at the counter I saw this flyer:
Wow! How is that for great timing? First the New York Times article on the growing Miami Music Scene featuring Rachel Goodrich and Jacob Jeffries Band, and now a concert featuring both?
I work Downtown, so this show was convenient to go to. I got off work at five, met up with a friend, and walked over to Park Tina Hills Pavillion by Bayfront Park to watch the show. It was pretty strange to see bands playing with the sun still out, but that was the point.
This show was put together by the Miami Downtown Development Authority (MiamiDDA) in conjunction with The Rhythm Foundation, and these guys are not messing around! The MiamiDDA received a matching fund grant from the Knight Foundation Arts Partnership that they're using to promote the arts as part of their overall plan to develop Downtown Miami - the Dwntwn Concert Series being a main cog. It's especially important right now with the opening of thousands of condos and apartments in the Downtown area.
MiamiDDA especially wants the Dwntwn Concert Series to be a showcase of the best of local Miami musicians. Additionally, they want it to be accessible to the average Miamian who works or lives Downtown. For this past Friday's concert, I'd say there were easily a couple of hundred people there, which for a local Miami show is pretty impressive, so the strategy is working.
As opposed to other live venues where shows start at 11pm or Midnight, this show drew a much broader audience than the typical college-age hipster. During Jacob Jeffries set three little kids were running in circles! How surreal would that be in the middle of PS14 or Churchill's Pub?
This was my first time seeing Rachel and Jacob. Rachel has actually been around for awhile, at least a couple of years now, and a lot of my friends know her and have seen her play before. I think the consensus is that Rachel is "quirky" and boy does Miami love it's quirky musicians.
When she broke out the kazoo I knew I was in love.
Her music is a mix between the unadulterated and blatant love of music reminiscent of Regina Spektor, the musicianship of KT Tunstall, and the soulfulness of Mavis Staples. Her songs are lovely. Seriously, just lovely and simple and marvelous. Its as if a six year old was writing music and I mean that in the best way possible. There's such a youthful innocence to what she does.
And even though a spider landed on Rachel's hat and freaked her out, she wasn't going to let that get her out of her groove:
It's really easy to tell why the New York Times chose to focus on these two. I've been going to local shows for several years and this is real talent here. Look, this is the thing about all forms of art - everyone knows someone who does art in one way or another. Everyone has a friend who shows you their poetry and you painfully read through the triteness of the way their ex-girlfriend broke up with them ("she broke my heart/that mean cold girl/she is not very nice" - almost a haiku!).
Rarely, and I'm talking incredibly rare here, there's a piece that a friend shows you and it blows your mind. I feel a certain kinship towards Rachel and Jacob being fellow Miamians and watching them play makes me feel proud. Proud for Miami music in general. They are the real deal. This isn't your friend showing you their crappy poetry and you telling them its good because you don't want to hurt their feelings. This is something you want to tell everyone else about because its just that good.
Moving on.
I can lazily compare Jacob Jeffries Band to The Faint or Daniel Powter because they have that whole lead male, adult contemporary thing in common, but that is just throwing company together to throw company together. Also, I'm not necessarily a fan of that kind of music. I have The Faint's album and I've never really listened to it. I hear Daniel Powter come on the television when they joke about him on The Best Week Ever and I change the channel.
The thing is that Jacob does that adult contemporary thing in a way that is different than the rest of the crowd. Maybe it was just watching him live, and I certainly hope this is reflected on his albums (and I haven't heard either of them yet... ahem), but he is... a really sarcastic jew (and I mean that with the most respect to my fellow heeb)! Sure, his music is passionate and wonderful, but you can also tell he doesn't take himself too seriously. And really, couldn't we use more of that in the music industry?
Links:
Jacob Jeffries Band: www.myspace.com/jacobjeffriesband
Rachel Goodrich: www.myspace.com/rachelgoodrich
Miami Dwntwn Concert Series: www.myspace.com/dwntwnmiamiconcertseries
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