Erin McKeown "Aspera" from We Will Become Like Birds Live at High Noon Saloon Madison, WI Oct 14, 2005

A special set this week -- three songs from the Mike Doughty show at the High Noon! First up, opening DiFranco-alike Erin McKeown, who was both sick and celebrating her birthday at this show. She's kind of a traditional singer/songwriter, playing solo onstage, even though her new record includes a fair amount of well-placed studio flourish. Her set was pretty good, despite everybody in the club talking the whole damn time. Honestly, you've paid $15 to get in, shut up and listen! The only times most people stopped talking were when she recruited us all for her too-complicated choruses, which her wracked voice couldn't handle. Later on, she came out to duet with Mike Doughty on "I Hear the Bells," which was pretty cool.