On a Friday night, I sat in a swivel chair propped up against the back wall of Dixon Place, a homey and intimate bar. I had come to see the band called Painted Betty, and I did not know much about them, except for the fact that they weren’t defined by one genre of music, as the word eclectic had often been used to describe their sound.
A couple of people sat at the table in front of me, and I asked them if they had ever heard anything by Painted Betty. To my surprise, they told me that they were Painted Betty. When I asked them if they could describe their sound, I heard that word again. Eclectic. “A mix of jazz…and at some points, country,” the singer explained. That may sound like a sharp contrast in genres, but Painted Betty manages to conquer various regions of music and switch sounds with comfortable ease.
The moment they began performing, I immediately picked up a groovy, easy-going sound from Painted Betty. There were two lead singers, both female. The main singer had more of a voice fit for country, which also fit the jazz tunes perfectly. Her voice was bold and strong. She gave off a confident and sexy attitude when she sang. The second singer, who mostly danced in place during the performance, added some Spanish flair to the songs.
I was so caught up in the tight performance and amazing music the band was making that I didn’t even pay attention to the lyrics. Then I began to listen to the lyrics—and I decided that it would be best to focus more on their music. The songwriting was generally weak, with most of the lyrics focused on complaining about a husband, or drinking alcohol. I kept listening, and decided that any hope for revolutionary songwriting was lost after hearing a song about the “hometown ho” who has apparently “shagged every hippie this side of Poughkeepsie”. Interestingly enough, Painted Betty found its most poetic lyrics in its darker songs, which were rare during this concert. When you look past the weak lyrics, Painted Betty puts on a very energetic and entertaining show.
Each song had a very warm vibe to it. Painted Betty is definitely a band you can dance to, but also perfect for anyone who needs to relax. The band members are down-to-earth people who make music because they love doing it. Each individual member of the band brought something unique to the performance. However, my favorite member of the band was definitely David, the man on clarinet. The wind instrument added a simple but sweet layer of energy to the band. I had never seen someone rock out on the clarinet before, but David did it well.
Painted Betty is certainly an eclectic band. One might think that a band fitting no particular genre would be a negative thing. That being said, Painted Betty pulled off every different type of song they played. However, as uncertain as they might seem about their sound, one thing is for sure. Painted Betty is unlike anything you’ve heard.
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