By: Hannah Winokur
Son Little and Doe Paoro. These two artists stem from the same record label, ANTI- Records. ANTI-has coined themselves the home of “real artists creating records on their own terms.”
The label boasts such acts as Tom Waits, Dr. Dog, Mavis Staples, Wilco and more. So when I got wind of the fact that two separate acts from one solid source were to be playing at The Casbah on Tuesday, May 24, 2016 I made a clear point to be in attendance.
Doe Paoro via ANTI-
Doe Paoro has been described by NPR as “The best of what humans and machines can bring out in each other.” The 31 year old singer-songwriter hails from Los Angeles, California. Doe Paoro has a voice so hauntingly beautiful that I ask you to proceed with caution as you listen to her. This is to say, prepare to be moved.
Son Little, originally from Los Angeles, has the smoothest voice I have heard in years. He also always seems to be wearing a hat. Other than these fun facts I did not know much about him prior to attending the show this last Tuesday. And let’s just say I was pleasantly surprised. Son Little is somewhat of a genre-bending/unclassifiable musician. Don’t believe me? Listen to his song O’Mother. It someway, somehow successfully combines electronic, with acoustic, with funk, with you-name-it. It doesn’t sound “experimental” or like a project, it is purposeful and makes a point. I don’t know how he does it.
That Tuesday night The Casbah was comfortably crowded. I describe it as comfortable simply because there was a tangible feeling of happiness and excitement in the air as every member of that crowd WANTED to be there. It was a crowd full of avid followers. And there is almost nothing better than attending a concert amongst a bunch of avid followers (so long as they have good taste.) Doe Paoro went on first, and was followed shortly thereafter by a hat-wearing Son Little. The evening was filled with heart filled ballads and painfully sincere lyrics. Something both these artists have mastered, both on their own and together.
The two ANTI- artists have just recently collaborated on a song called “Shadows.” He sings the intro, she takes over, and then the two sing in harmony. R&B influence is prevalent and there might be a touch of electronic. Do yourself a favor and listen to it.