Hana Zara and Cricket Blue at Radio Bean February 11, 2018

Cricket Blue pic by Tim Lewis

 

I had a great time seeing music a couple of Sundays ago at Radio Bean. It was one of those shows where I was super-excited to see the headliner return to town and knew the opening band would be amazing too.

Mike Luoma and I took the lovely walk to the Bean and arrived a little early to be sure we could get in and find a place to listen. Cricket Blue opened the show with their somewhat haunting gorgeous powerful music. They opened with a new song about driving away, then told the familiar tale of the Milkman. Eleanor sounded especially sweet as did Oh My Rose. Taylor Smith played a solo song about seasons and stars then Laura Heaberlin played a solo song about her favorite pair of scissors escaping a fire undamaged. They reunited into the band and closed with a song that may have been about pillows and house plants disappearing. Cricket have a lovely magic about their music and were amazing as always that night.

By the time Hana Zara took the stage several chairs were set up on the floor and the room was filled and it looked like a mini-theater. She opened with the gorgeous Cats then played The Toy. I missed the name of the next song but it was about little fires and the road coming back to meet you. Someone from the audience asked if she would play Womb Of Amanda and she acquiesced . The lines about mothers and brothers brought quiet tears to my eyes. All of her lyrics take you on a journey and her guitar playing invokes a sacred space. The lines about remember me right and remember me true from the song Snow spoke nicely of how far away she lives and how memory can keep us intertwined. She celebrated with Hooray Hoorah then invoked the new album title in Hartford. She said that was the end of the songs she prepared for the set and asked for requests. Science Fiction was the first one and the story magically filled the room. She played a song in Spanish then dropped it into Santa Anna, which is one of my favorite songs about auras. She closed the night with Murcia and left us elated.

It’s always a special time when Hana plays and it was so wonderful to be in her lovely presence.