Richard BodinEver since I had the opportunity to catch a glimpse of a Carsie Blanton live performance during The 24hrs Play in Dublin last year, I was curious to get the full experience. Over the past year, she has been recording the second part to her Red Album, joined the flotilla to Gaza, and recorded another album with The Burning Hell ahead of her new Irish tour. This new tour was taking herself & The Burning Hell to the stage of Dolan’s Warehouse in Limerick. The perfect occasion for me to finally get the full live experience.
The Burning Hell hails from Canada and musical project involving Matthias Kom, Ariel Sharrat and Jake Nicoll. During this tour, the core creative duo —Matthias & Ariel— is joining Carsie and her longtime bandmate Joe Plowman on stage. Over a recent interview, the American songwriter explained that she met the Canadian outfit as they were opening for her show in Prince Edward Island. They instantly struck up a friendship that went far beyond the musical ground.
Two bands, one show
So it was with much curiosity that I made my way to Dolan’s Warehouse this fine sunday evening. The room was buzzing with convivial chatter as people were gathered around tables waiting for the evening to start. After a while, Carsie Blanton & The Burning Hell made their way on to the stage. Since it is a joined tour, there was no opening act, but two different part to the evening.
A muppet musical
To kick things started, Carsie and Matthias started chatting to each other, involving the audience as the third partner. They were playing out the introductory dialogue to the opening song of their collaborative album “Everything is Great”. This new album, recorded in Kinvarra, here in Ireland, was released just as the tour started. It is a special effort though, as it is a concept album for a Muppet sort of Musical, and is performed as such — minus the puppets.
They proceeded to perform all the songs of the album. With an act like Carsie Blanton & The Burning Hell, it feels like the album comes alive on stage. As I listened to it in the past few weeks, I could tell the obvious friendship between the members of the group and the chemistry emanating from it. It was even more palpable on stage. You could tell easily through their body language, the shared looks, the smiles, that it was more than just music. Of course the dialogues have surely been rehearsed, but it came out naturally. The audience, greatly enjoying the performance was gladly joining in to singalong to new song that many were hearing for the first time.
When two universes become one
The second part of the show, was dedicated to both acts personal repertoires. It started with a very emotional rendition of “Hello Comrade” with Carsie and Joe alone at first, before they were joined again by The Burning Hell. It was amazing to witness two bands sharing the stage, mixing their music, and singing each other’s songs. They mostly explored their respective latest records: Carsie’s Red Albums and Matthias & Ariel’s Never Work, but not only. Carsie reintroduced herself as the “Ugly Nasty Commie Bitch”, while The Burning Hell related their first encounter in “Fuck The Government, I Love You”.
I was more than happy to rediscover some Carsie’s song like “Rich People”, “FBI” or “The Future”, to which the audience was more than eager to singalong. But I have to admit, I am yet unfamiliar with the Burning Hell’s catalogue. I discovered a band with the same emotional charge and political wit than Carsie. They are truly a perfect match. Songs like “The Robots vs Mrs Patel” or “Never Work” definitely spoke to my core.
The Process
At some point, they took a moment to reflect on the place of music in our lives. Too often, it has become a commodity—something streamed, consumed, and expected to follow a set pattern. But music is not a product. As they put it: it is a process. One in which the audience plays a part.
That idea was echoed in a story Carsie shared from an FBI report on a Pete Seeger concert, where the collective singing of the crowd was described as “communist mind control.” One wonders where the mind control really lies. Standing in Dolan’s, as voices rose together around Malvina Reynolds’ “I Don’t Mind Failing” or Carsie’s own “Little Flame,” it felt more like a common language, of love, solidarity and communion. A union of sorts, if you will.
For a while, the stage and the audience were connected. We weren’t just attending a concert. We were part of the process.
