Sometimes it seems we to focus far too much on the things that keep us separated. Things that highlight our differences. One of the few exceptions lies in the world of music. It is the common ground that doesn’t differentiate. The welcoming sphere that attracts people who love creativity, imagination and beauty manifested in sound and song.
Finding an artist who guilelessly defies categorization simply by being themselves and consistently creating exceptional music is like stumbling on exquisite treasure. One such treasure arrived in Chicago on a recent Thursday night at the Vic in the form of Valerie June Hockett. She goes simply by Valerie June and sinks her musical roots into many fertile fields. Bluegrass, R&B, folk, blues, country; she’s at home with them all. Replete with her massive dreads and lovely songs, she captivated the audience with her utterly unique voice, idiosyncratic style and songwriting skill. With its patina of weathered grace and long musical legacy, in many ways the Vic was the perfect venue for her talent.
Hockett readily reminds you that the banjo arrived as a musical instrument from Africa and that it’s unwise to make presumptions about what you can expect to hear when you see someone playing it.
Her banter was as interesting as her music. Casually weaving the mundane and the profound and talking as if she had just run into some old friends at the supermarket, she shared charming stories about how she writes her songs. How they can come to her in dreams and voices and how at other times she has to catch them lightning bugs. When she checked herself and said, “Ya’ll didn’t come here to hear me talk”, a woman’s voice affectionately shot back, “Yes we did.”
That spiritual essence that defines so much of her work shone though in those snippets of chat and endowed even greater depths of understanding of her music as the audience listened to her sing. Backed up by a wonderful band that kept the room shuttering with excitement, the atmosphere took on the aura of the transcendent.
So old school it still uses smoke machines to create a haze on the stage while artists perform, the Vic ups the ante with flawless lighting; imperceptibly melting colors from blue to lavender to pale pink over the stage. The affect remains seductively beautiful.
Valerie June’s lyrics don’t romanticize or castigate the Janus faces of love. A clear-eyed pragmatism permeates songs of desire and songs of disappointment. It’s the music behind the songs that provide the essential pointer on how to read them. Shakedown might be about somebody looking for love; but based on the song’s beautifully bottled frenzy, it’s clear they’re having a blast during the search.
Solidly anchored in up tempo roots rock and completely comfortable doing ballads and traditional folk, the husband wife duo Birds of Chicago was a brilliant choice to open for Hockett. Allison Russell’s enjoys remarkable control of voice and the couple delivered a set noted for its perfect pitch and artistic passion. The caliber of musicianship she and her husband J.T. Nero delivered made the opening set feel like a terrific main act.
Rightfully known for its great acoustics, the even dispersal sound couldn’t compensate for the Vic’s microphone problems which left the singers voices compressed; squelching clarity. Judging from the enthusiasm of the crowd, no one seemed to care.
Valerie June
February 15, 2018
The Vic Theater
3145 N. Sheffield Ave.
Chicago, IL 60657
773-472-0449
