Experimental pop songstress Michelle Blades is only 25 and she’s already exceptionally worldly; born in Panama, raised in Miami, cultivated in Arizona, seasoned on the road via multiple tours of Europe, and finally settling overseas, in Paris, she’s acquired some diverse influences that are echoed in her vibrant music. After residing in the City of Light for a few years, she assembled a band, put down her ukulele in favor of electric guitar, and produced 2015 third full-length, ATARAXIA, which ranges from “Subtropical Suburban,” its up-tempo Afro-flavored buoyancy transforming into an urgent Spaghetti Western dash with fuzzed and tube-amped guitars, to the eight-plus-minute multi-part “Crush! (I Went To Your Party) / Obsession (Fever Song) / Crushed (Operator!),” which finds Michelle’s dulcet vocals cooing repeated lyrical refrains over a heartbeat-thumping groove before it builds into a weird, dark swirl of synthesizers and strings, multi-tracked vocals, stripped back beats and sinister guitar riffs. Fellow Miami compatriot and Midnight Special Records labelmate, Venezuelan-born WOMANMAY, has a looser, guitar-warped, cosmic folk vibe and a more commanding and husky vocal quality. RIYL: St. Vincent.
This performances is presented as part of the BBQ Wednesday Acoustic Series at New World Brewery in Ybor City — admission is free, and the music happens from 7 to 9 p.m.
Check out tracks by both artists below...
https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1323982442/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=4189930491/transparent=true/
