Larkin Grimm - December 27, 2009 Knitting Factory

[photo by nyctaper]

Larkin Grimm is the subject of one of my favorite artist descriptions. Michael Gira, founder of The Swans, and with whose Young God Records Larkin is signed, described her as follows: “Larkin is a magic woman. She lives in the mountains in north Georgia. She collects bones, smooth stones, & she casts spells. She worships the moon. She is very beautiful, & her voice is like the passionate cry of a beast heard echoing across the mountains just after a tremendous thunder storm, when the air is alive with electricity. I don’t consider her folk though - she is pre folk, even pre- music. She is the sound of the eternal mother & the wrath of all women. She wears jewels, glitter, & glistening insects in her hair.”

Last night at Knitting Factory, Larkin was just a singer, albeit a special one. The Sunday night crowd was larger than expected for an early post-holiday off-night, and Larkin entertained us with stories and songs anchored by her deeply rich voice. The band included the legendary producer Tony Visconti (Bowie, TRex, Morrissey) on bass guitar. Larkin performed primarily new songs, and just one number from her most recent release Parplar.

We recorded this set with the four-microphone rig set up directly in front of the soundboard, and other than some venue sounds during quieter moments of the recording, the sound quality is quite excellent. Enjoy!

01 [introduction]
02 Paradise
03 Blond and Golden Johns
04 [banter]
05 Pool of Milk
06 [tuning/banter]
07 Paved With Leaves
08 [tuning/intro]
09 Flash and Thunder
10 [banter]
11 The Butcher
12 Dirty Mind
13 The Burglar
14 [outro/band]
Direct download of MP3 files (HERE)

FLAC's available

@'NYCTaper'