JANE SIBERRY AND THE ART OF INDEPENDENCE
Huffington Post, Dec. 9, 2009
READ HERE
POSTSCRIPT, Dec. 12, 2009
Tonight Jane Siberry gave the most upbeat, witty show I've ever seen her do. Spurred on by a full house who adored her and laughed eagerly at her wry humor, Siberry responded. She was just feeding off of them, she said, adding: "The show would have been different if I were alone." Her hands are beautifully expressive -- almost Kabuki-like in their movements. And tonight, the poet in her really took flight. She spoke almost as much as she sang, weaving the songs together with a seemingly improvised tale of her encounters with a dog called Magik and a fanciful array of characters, all of whom had some life lesson to impart. I'd taken along my friend Lisa, a poet and psychic. I was anxious to hear her reaction. "She's brave," said Lisa. "She's a poetic oracle with a big soul, and a global consciousness. When I looked at her I flashed on the Greek oracles. Her receptors are open, the way the oracles' would be. She also made me think of Joyce and Dylan Thomas, because of the many voices she has."
On the way out I passed a display of Siberry CDs. Above them was a sign: "ANY TWO = $30 ALL THREE = $35." Apparently her self-determined pricing policy, at least on gigs, is a thing of the past. The company she uses for mail orders, CD Baby, sells her albums for $20. Bravo to Siberry for the years in which she made her music available for less. Long may she do whatever it takes to thrive.