Photo curtesy of http://mollyparden.com/
One of my favorite parts about going to see indie folk shows is seeing the opener. They are always hungry and super talented. In the case of the recent Peter Bradley Adams show I told you guys about, the opener was a Nashville singer/songwriter named Molly Parden. And as I have come to expect and enjoy, the opener delivered a performance to rival the headliner.
Parden gave us a great mix of originals and covers, delivering a particularly haunting rendition of the Bruce Springsteen classic, “I’m On Fire.” It was only the second song she played but after about five seconds into the intro with her voice and guitar sounding off together into the dark back room of the Mercury Lounge everyone in the crowd was mesmerized. I found you guys a version of her playing this tune on another stage, this time with a full band beside her. You’re welcome…
Parden’s dry soft spoken wit and easily recognizable talent left the whole crowd wanting more when her time on the stage was through. Luckily we were treated with her singing back up vocals on many of the PBA songs. She also made sure to tell us about her experience singing back up vocals in a Jeep Superbowl commercial. As an added bonus to all of you, I managed to track down the ad (it really wasn’t hard to find) so here it is.
Finally, I need to give everyone a sample of her songwriting talent because it is a great display of emotional and musical depth and intensity coming together. She played this tune towards the end of her set and it really seemed to hit the crowd hard. The song is called “Weather” I have no doubt you’ll enjoy.
Parden is an artist everyone should give a listen to, the music is soft and her voice is soothing. I have no doubt she can make a fan out of anyone.
-Ryan Schmitz
