Yamagata Presents 1960s-Like Aura At Turner Hall Concert

When Rachael Yamagata began her March 24 concert at Turner Hall Ballroom, I felt like I was in the 1960s. (Granted I was born in 1990 and have no real-life perception of the era, it reflected how I imagine the 1960s may have been.) With a stage decorated as a canopy of colorful flowers combined with her smoky singing voice and long brunette hair, Yamagata presented an authentic, unique aura that is missing from most musical artists in today’s industry.Clearly she has evolved artistically from the first time I saw her in concert. It was during Summerfest 2004 when she had about a 6 p.m. concert time before Michael Tolcher and Gavin DeGraw. Rather unimpressively, Yamagata smoked cigarettes onstage throughout the entire concert, barely prefaced her songs or spoke to the audience, and slurred the lyrics to most songs.Tuesday night, however, was a new singer and entirely new performer for that matter. She began her set on the piano with the quiet ballad "Elephants," a metaphorical contemplation of the pitfalls in a relationship. Next came crowd favorite "Be Be Your Love" from her first full-length album, Happenstance. The song also gained recognition when it was featured on the first Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movie.The challenges that Yamagata recently overcame with record labels was visible through her new maturity onstage. She first released a self-titled, six track EP on October 7, 2003, with BMG Music followed by her 2004 full-length album, Happenstance. Both contained different versions of her two most well-acknowledged songs "Worn Me Down" and "Reason Why."Recently, Yamagata switched labels and signed on with Warner Brothers Records for her September 30, 2008, release of Elephants... Teeth Sinking Into Heart, a two part release featuring nine tracks on Elephants and five on Teeth Sinking Into Heart. Elephants, a tender take on loneliness and lost love, is more reminiscent of tracks on Happenstance. These mellow tracks converge from the rebellious anthems off Teeth Sinking Into Heart. The most notable tracks on that album are "Faster" and "Sidedish Friend." Both songs were performed by Rachael Tuesday night doing vocals and guitar.These two distinct sides of Yamagata were clear but balanced in her performance. She sensibly rotated between old songs and new, crowd pleasers and dramatic acoustics, quiet and upbeat. By the end of the concert, I truly felt satisfied in having heard such a wide array of melodies, tempos, instruments, and beats. Her new-found versatility makes clear the "reason why" her songs have been played on such television hits as ABC’s Grey's Anatomy, Fox's The O.C., and MTV's The City.Opening act Cory Chisel, an Appleton native, shared his tender side through his acoustic guitar picking and soft vocals, but was less-than-thrilling in his side commentary. Offering little information about himself, he instead opted to open his set by raving about the alcohol he and his band members consumed before the show.Overall, he failed to connect to the audience on either a musical or personal level. If he can overcome this and commit to his music, he has potential to build a career mirroring a Ray LaMontagne or Joshua Radin.