Dana Falconberry
18th Floor @ Hilton Garden Inn, Friday, March 16
Eighteen stories above the maddening din of SXSW, Dana Falconberry’s voice rang out stunningly against the sunset-streaked Austin skyline. Equal parts sultry and sweet, the local songwriter was appropriately aided by the removed location at the Hilton and filled the seats to overflowing. Calmly seated behind her acoustic guitar, Falconberry started the set with the new “Satin Dress” before bursting into the defiant “Leave in the Middle of the Night.” As she floated through both new material and songs from her riveting debut EP, Paper Sailboat, alconberry, a key member of Austin’s Peter & the Wolf, burst vocally with a force that belies her small and quiet demeanor and that almost overpowered the intimate venue. Fellow ATX songstresses Gina Dvorak and Erika Maassan joined her for a handful of tunes, including the smoky “My Sweet-heart, My Dear.” As the gloaming fell to darkness outside, Falconberry closed the set with the astounding “Sadie,” draping the room in a lingering lull of heartbreak and cementing her reputation as one of Austin’s most arresting female vocalists.This article appears in March 16 • 2007.
