LA Weekly

Mirah and The Blow
The Henry Fonda, Jan. 25

Timothy Norris

(Click to enlarge)

The Blow beckons us to dance geekily.

Your first glance at Khaela Maricich's outfit might make you feel a little sad for her. Maricich, who performs as the Blow, is fitted in a head-to-toe white ensemble, as if at any moment she might be beamed into the stratosphere. Two songs into her electro-pop set, though, fashion issues subside, and we're all head bobbing/dancing in space along with her. You can't wipe away that grin, can't help but laugh at her charmingly geeky dance moves. By the time she begins the crowd favorite "Parentheses," you pretty much worship her. Not only because she can sing and dance simultaneously, but because of her sidesplitting anecdotes about songwriting. The singer admits she'd really like Beyonce to cover the next song, and purrs, "I guess I'm long on the list of the girls who love the shit out of you." What follows is a song about boys rubbing up on girls, with lots of oh-oh-ohs, which gets us all going. Khaela's cunning beat-supplier Jona Bechtolt — a.k.a. Yacht — isn't here tonight, but his jams pulse through the audience long after the Blow departs. Mirah follows, and offers a new range of softer sounds, but, alas, she can't seem to capture the youthful crowd's imagination. Mirah's songs from her new album, Share This Place: Stories and Observations, feature a lot of cello, and demand attention and quiet, but the audience is wound up. As the barefoot Mirah crouches down to coo her gentle love songs, conversations barely lose their hush, and despite a thoughtful and melodic ensemble, it's the Blow, not Mirah, who exits with a band of new followers.