The Liu Abides
Yet another great night of storytelling and songwriting at Troubadour Songwriter Night.
As always hosted by the OGT, Tim Brickley, he was joined by singer-songwriters Zella Mae Elm and Hey Judy Liu.
It always seems an odd theme emerges for the evening–usually emanating from one of Tim’s stories setting up a song.
Whereas last week the theme was Troubadour sad songs…happy, sad, and sadder…this week it was “A new way of thinking.”
Eh hem…the “new way of thinking” referenced in the story (NOT LAST NIGHT) was a better living through chemistry.
Zella Mae Elm followed Tim with…if I counted correctly…three keyboards (actually two and a synth), a guitar, and a voice plumbing the depths of the registers and reaching the stars at the other end.
At one point in her set, setting up her song Small Dreams, she said:
“It’s okay to have little tiny hopes and dreams even if they get crushed a little.”
Let’s just say…she crushed it.
Her engaging and eclectic style was punctuated by another song she said is coming up on her new pop/synth record…which she wrote (and performed last night) on an acoustic guitar.
I swear, on her keyboard/vocal songs, I closed my eyes and imagined I was at a recording session for a new…really hip…Disney animated movie.
There was just this unique, edgy, yet polished vibe.
And…next, in fact, The Liu did abide.
Hey Judy Liu was the essence of Troubadour storytelling and song-sharing. The infectiousness of her storytelling turning into songs was a musical hook.
You want to know more…you want to listen deeply.
There was an unspoken (and unexpected) VIP invitation to be a visitor into her life story.
There was an unspoken (and unexpected) VIP invitation to be a visitor into her life story.
Her life story is part and parcel of what makes the songs work…and makes them so engaging.
“English is not my first language…I took some of my husband’s poems and built songs around them…this was the beginning of Judy Liu.”
This statement, though, was not without controversy.
In cross-referencing this with her husband, I asked…
“So you write poetry.”
Wry smile…
“I do not. I write song lyrics.”
And they still collaborate together.
A powerful moment as the evening was winding down was Judy Liu talking about returning to a small island off of Taiwan where her father grew up. She talked about the cultural expectation of being nurtured in particular life roles…and that you are expected to live out those roles.
As she sang, I wondered…how does it go explaining this part of her life role now–a soulful and poignant singer-songwriter…back home.
So, I asked Judy Liu…what should I call you?
“I'm The Liu. So, that's what you call me. You know, that or, uh, Her Liuness, or, uh, Liuer, or El Liuerino, if you're not into the whole brevity thing.”
Okay, you do know I’ve lifted this little trope straight from The Big Lebowski…
What a fun and moving night.
Tim abided.
Zella abided.
Judy Liu abided.
The Dude and dudettes abided.