The scene at Webster Hall was buzzing as the crowd of indie-hipsters, nestled alongside tried-and-true music geeks, anxiously awaited their first glimpse of She & Him - a super-duo comprised of alt-singer/songwriter M. Ward and actress-cum-wannabe singer/songwriter Zooey Deschanel.
I’d like to stress the sentiment ‘anxiously’, as the previous night’s scheduled performance at the more intimate Hiro Ballroom had been unexpectedly cancelled. The band’s MySpace and a last minute email from the Bowery Presents folks stated “illness” as the cause. Some fans suspected nerves while others wondered if the cancellation was a stunt to sell more tickets. And now, She & Him seemed to be running late on this, the first date of their first tour. Come on already!
Suddenly the two were onstage in full song - He stage right, while She took her spot behind her mic-stand stage center, bathed in light and looking like a tiny baby-doll version of Loretta Lynn. She & Him kicked it off with “Black Hole” from their first release Volume One. If either performer was ill, it certainly wasn’t apparent.
Zooey’s voice sounded stronger, clearer and more full than any of her recordings have suggested. She appeared to be a little nervous, but was absolutely beaming. The dynamic between She and Ward was adorable; their intermittent glances towards one another reminded me of a father pushing his little girl off on her first bike without training wheels. By the end of their first song she was off and racing; her audience absolutely wrapped around her little finger.
After the first couple songs Zooey, in Dylan fashion, held up a giant poster board she pulled from a stack of others that read “Hello New York!” Apparently she actually had lost her voice the evening before and had created a series of signs to hold up for her fans just in case she had trouble talking. (An endearing trick she pulled several times, although all memories of the cancellation were long forgotten.) Luckily she had no trouble whizzing through the set; the little extra scratchiness adding a gorgeous dimension to her already sumptuous voice.
Ward, who has only reaffirmed his genius with the ‘60’s inspired pop/country/folk arrangement and instrumentation on Volume One, finally joined Zooey on vocals about four songs in, with his beautiful rendition of William Robinson’s “You Really Got a Hold on Me.” His guitar playing highlighted her vocals on each and every song and their duets were focal points of the show.
Zooey amped up her musical chops as she belted “Take It Back,” playing piano aglow in a sultry red spotlight. As she finished each song she looked more proud, more confident and more comfortable - flirtin’ coyly with her fans and unabashedly tappin’ her tambourine.
He played piano while She delivered country love song “Sweet Darlin’” (which she co-wrote with fellow indie actor-cum-musician Jason Schwartzman). The tune is evocative of goose bumps, with its drums slowly rising in crescendo, culminating in Zooey joining Ward on his piano bench before the song’s finale. It was apparent how not only his talent as a musician, but their collective enthusiasm makes She & Him so effective. Their dynamic is electric. We must thank whatever fates brought these two unlikely wayfarers together.
As the pair came out onstage for their encore I realized how short Volume One is. Then I realized it’s not all that short, I was just enjoying the refreshing and inspiring arrangements so much I didn’t want them to stop. Luckily, Ward reached into his own arsenal and sang a version of his “Magic Trick” re-arranged for She & Him; a delicious treat. As if that weren’t enough, Zooey broke into Sam Cooke’s “Bring It on Home to Me.” The crowd just about died and went to heaven.
Hook, line, sinker. Bring on Volume Two.
--Cami Raben [May 5, 2008]
