McCabe’s Guitar Shop provided the perfect place to hear and witness the songs of Jesse Sykes as she wound her way down from the Northwest with guitarist/singer Phil Wandscher. Those present at McCabe’s were treated to an intimate experience of Ms. Sykes’ beautiful, articulate, and touching songs. Each song seemed to pull a veil back and offer visitation to worlds where connection to etheric and earthy forces are refreshingly present. Having just finished recording a new album, the two took a laidback approach to presenting songs both new and old. Time away seemed to have renewed her enthusiasm for her older tunes, and they were well worth revisitation.

Jesse Sykes’ songs walk paths of noetic interaction and natural relation. They often embody the perspective of contemporary individuality in a way that is comforting and unnerving at once by their immediacy. They speak most specifically to those who live with one foot in the strange and life-giving forest and the other in an incongruent world of human circumstance and separation.

Ms. Sykes seems to be a gentle, sweet, and kind soul on stage and off. Her vibe is humble and down to earth, and she is beautiful to watch.  This is much to the contrary of her musical collaborator and guitarist Phil who filled the spaces between soft, cloudy, multidimensional songs with loud bawdy rants. There is no mistaking the duo’s musical compatibility, but as personalities they offer up apparently opposite ends of the spectrum. After a big ‘fuck you’ to Hollywood, a Mike Tyson joke, and talk of how this rain might have melted Michael Jackson were he still alive, Wandscher paused from talking long enough for Jesse to launch into a song called “Spectral Beings.” The contrast did not serve the experience of the evening nor did the often overtly loud electric guitar playing. It was an issue of context. I found myself crossing my finger’s in between each song hoping the next would start without another lengthy loud-mouthed rap from the talented ex-Whiskeytown guitar player.
Amy Blaschke opened the show with a delightful set of tunes. Her voice is  classic, strong, and comforting, her guitar playing interesting. No doubt folks will be hearing more of her in the future.

—Percy Dolmen