cmj day 2: Marnie Stern

This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That
Marnie Stern @ Cake Shop, 10/22 (photo by amandalynferri)
After missing Sam Champion next door at Pianos, I headed back to the basement of Cake Shop for my first taste of Marnie Stern. And what a taste it was. Hammer-ons and power chords had me salivating and headbanging as if I were back in my post-grunge youth. This is Rock and Roll music and Marnie, although she may not always think it, is most definitely a Rocker. This was clear from the sheer density of the packed basement, which was well over capacity, and hot as fuck. So hot I did not to return to Ludlow street for the rest of the week, in favor of more comfortable, albeit empty venues, like the Bell House, where I coincidentally saw Marnie Stern again on Thursday. And, as expected, she crushed it, even though there were only 4 people in the audience, excluding performers. The only person I can compare her consistently ass kicking show to is the Boss, who, regardless of venue size, always brings the heat, whether he's in Jersey or Fargo. Stern brings the heat. She's also one of the sweetest performers I've ever met.

Marnie Stern Rockin!