After doing my post about Kris Angelis’ Pieces That Were Stolen EP, I was lucky enough to see her in concert. She’s so hard-core indie that she traveled across the USA in her car to perform in every state. If the Connecticut show was any indication, she didn’t always play the finest of venues.
She played a bar with no cover in one of our seedier cities from 10:00 PM to midnight midweek. I’ll do a lot to see one of my divas but this was questionable. I did put on my big boy pants (along with a rape whistle and a can of mace) and decided I’d do a drive by of the venue to decide if I would go in. I got a parking spot right around the corner and was able to make a run for it. It was a dive bar that had a few tables with fancy table cloths to give the appearance of a seafood restaurant. The “stage” was just a step to more seating that was cleared for Kris and her guitar.
I started out as the only fan there but other chatting locals slowly warmed to her talents and quieted down….mostly. There was the lady at a booth who brought her dog Summit, demanding that Kris dedicate a song to him. Summit must’ve needed his beauty sleep because they left after that. A drunk sat across from me and randomly asked Kris questions. She had to stop performing to explain that she was busy. There was the stoner leaning against a pillar while an older woman stomped around “dancing” and talking like she was the mayor of Crazy Town. However, that didn’t stop me from giving her my phone to take this pic of Kris and I.
The concert may have been a shit show (not Kris’ doing, she sounded amazing and handled herself like a pro) but it was one of my most memorable shows of 2019. Since I doubt Kris will be back to Connecticut any time soon, I’ll enjoy her new EP That Siren, Hope, which is a six-pack of folky guitar strumming and heartfelt songwriting about heartbreak. “I Hope I Never Fall In Love Again” is all about avoiding getting into another relationship after a break-up, “Brighter Blue” is steeped in darkness with a ray of hope, “Ghost” questions the past and what it all meant, “That Siren, Hope” warns of promises gone bad that leaves one lost, “If I Can’t Have What I Want” is what happens when you’re too broken to go on, and “Misplaced Hope” is all about crawling out of the relationship’s remains stronger. In my gay opinion, this EP is the ultimate guide to surviving a toxic relationship and becoming stronger because of it.
