"A girl with eclectic taste"

This is how the interviewer, Terry Gross, aptly surmised the musical sound of Zooey Deschanel. Terry's interview with Zooey about her collaboration with singer/songwriter M Ward, She and Him Volume One, was spotlighted on NPR's Fresh Air. Zooey's eclectic influences include jazz, country, and girl groups of the 50's & 60's. I highly recommend taking the time to hear Terry's interview (no one does it better) with Zooey about her work with M Ward.

After the interview listen to the available music clips. I especially love the crestfallen feeling the duo infuse on their cover of Smokey Robinson's "you really got a hold on me." This is the kind of album I would definitely want to see on the jukebox at my favorite bar or wind down to on a Sunday evening.

Picture via Robert Loerezel on Flickr

Went to the Earl last night to see Charles Walker and the Dynamites perform. I was pleasantly surprised to see the band Cordero as the opening act. I enjoyed the music and loved the dress (above) worn by the front woman Ani Cordero. The dress had the ruffle of a Flamenco dancers dress, but the length and structure of the skirt reminded me of the 80's (take on the 50's) revival going on right now with the ballooning (some call it bubble) of the fabric at the hem. Even more interesting was the pop art fabric used. The design on the fabric reminded me of Roy Lichtenstein with the look of the backgrounds in old comic books like Dick Tracy. I just loved her look and the band. It was refreshingly fun and reminded me of how much I enjoy female led bands. They often have the best contrast of soft and strong.

Speaking of female leads, Ani made a dedication with the song Matadora to Cristna Sanchez, the female bullfighter (Torero) that retired in 1999 due to male prejudice against women. It seems male bullfighters refused to fight on the same bill (the lyrics are available on the bands website). The music was thoroughly enjoyable and there were couples in the audience dancing forms of the salsa.