July 29, 2003
The Corn Sisters
Neko Case/Kelly Hogan/Carolyn Mark, the Black Cat, 27 July
This was officially billed as a Neko Case show, but the sexiest woman in indie rock wasn't really a solo act. Instead, the alt.country chanteuse was playing with Kelly Hogan (of Atlanta's way good, way garage-y Rock-A-Teens) and Carolyn Mark (who is, with Case, the other half of the Corn Sisters). I'm going to call this a Corn Sisters show, and to hell with it. The three only played a few of Neko's solo songs ("Look for Me (I'll Be Around)" and her cover of Hank Williams' "Alone and Foresaken", among others). Neither Hogan nor Mark can wail like Case, but that's unsurprising. As my friend Tracy noted a few years ago, Case has just an incredible set of pipes, something that really obviates the need for a band or backup singers. The girl can belt it. But the three (and Bloodshot session guitarist Jon Rauhouse) were pretty tight for a group that seems not to have practiced or toured together much, and there were some amazing three-part harmonies. Standouts of the night in my mind were a girl-group-ish "Smoke Rings" (a tune Mary Ellen informed me was most recently covered by k.d. lang) and the shiver-inducing "Look for Me". A wonderful show, even if Case didn't tap dance the way she apparently used to for the Corn Sisters; I was impressed enough that I've ordered some of Hogan's solo work.