Leonard Cohen Tribute
Waterloo Records, Wednesday, March 18
More than a dozen artists paid tribute to the poetic force of nature that is Leonard Cohen at Austin’s premier music retailer. Former Apple Records A&R man Peter Asher kicked things off by celebrating the appearance of his own artists the Webb Sisters, who have been touring with Cohen and unfolded “If It Be Your Will.” Kevin Devine, an earnest guitar-picker from Brooklyn, followed Ohio quartet Southeast Engine‘s gentle reading of “The Traitor” with a respectful treatment of “Chelsea Hotel No. 2.” “I remember you well at the Chelsea Hotel,” Devine sang. “Giving me head on an unmade bed while the limos waited in the street.” Austin’s David Garza stepped lively on “Dance Me to the End of Love.” Laura Gibson added a little old-fashioned instrumentation to “Take this Waltz.” Buck 65, a Canadian rapper, read “A Thousand Kisses Deep” to laptop beats, and French duo Herman Dune wowed the crowd with “Here It Is.” After Loney Dear‘s gentle threepiece reprise of “Hallelujah,” Brooklyn’s Tigercity brought some rock with “Suzanne.” The Hours from London closed with “That’s No Way to Say Goodbye,” but it was time.
This article appears in March 20 • 2009.