BrightestYoungThings: LiveDC: Carsie Blanton @ Black Cat

all words: Rachel Johnson
all photos: Emily Cohen

As I entered into the Backstage, the previously dreary atmosphere of my evening changed immediately. The show was sold out, the little room was packed with chairs and every face was genuinely smiling. Carsie Blanton herself was out and about, meeting and greeting her fans before the show. She was wearing a stunning red dress with shoes that matched perfectly.

Carsie got up on stage and introduced her opening act, Mark Erelli. She made it obvious that she was very fond of him and it suddenly became clear why she loves him as soon as he started singing. He opened with a song called "Columbus OH". He played the guitar and the harmonica. His voice was pure and unlike any other live act that I have heard for quite a long time. He reminded me of a blues/country Dallas Green (City & Colour). This, if you ask me, is quite the compliment. The next song was one called "Little Vigils". When the song had finished, the crowd was overwhelmed with his talent. The applause was tremendous.

After Marks set, Carsie and her band took the stage. The first song was called "All We Got". Her voice astounded me. I had never heard any of her songs before, but after the first few lyrics escaped from her mouth, I knew that I would be purchasing each CD. She explained that probably every single one of her songs were about love and sex. With those words, she made me a firm believer that good music is not disappearing, just harder to find.

At this point, she began introducing her band members:

Joe Plowman played the bass cello, only 20 years old, and extremely talented

Mark Erelli played the bass guitar and singing along with Carsie on their first tour together

Mark Henny played the drums, from the smile on his face, you could tell he loved every moment of each song

Joel Gleiser played the keyboard, wearing a pony tail, he was growing his hair out for Lock of Love

Carsie Blanton played guitar for more than half of the songs she was singing

Her second song was called "Idiot Heart", the song the CD was named after. During the song, her fans began to dance wherever there was room to move. The next song was called "The Little Death". Named after the French phrase, "La petite mort", this song is very literally named after the feelings of an orgasm. It's the feeling that something overwhelms you so much that you feel as though you've died a little death and come back to life again.

The next song Carsie dedicated to any relationship that lasted too long, and when it's finally over you feel as though you're, "running out of a burning building- so glad to be safe and out of there!" Every single person in the audience could relate to what she says, and that's the thing about her that makes you want to listen.

As the set went on, Carsie's merchandise table was selling lyrics cards, posters, cd's, and jewelry. The enthusiastic merchandise girl, Lauren, seemed to love each song with a passion close to Carsie's. It was obvious that Carsie's happy-go-lucky attitude had rubbed off on everyone around her.

As Carsie Blanton and Mark Erelli continued to sing together, their voices in harmony sounded like magic. Hopefully, after their first tour together, there will be many more. Carsie, although she looked like a diva pin-up, seemed very humble. Modesty is not a quality that most artists have in the music industry today, and Carsie shines like a diamond in the rough. The rest of her band seemed just as kind-hearted and down to earth.

She introduced the last song as her famous song, "My Baby Can Dance". When the song was over, the crowd exploded with cheers, whistles, and applause. The entire place was ringing with calls for the band to come back onstage, and so they did. Carsie played two more songs, "Itches & Tugs" and "Crazy For Love". The show ended, and everyone in the room could not express exactly how great what they had just witnessed had been.

I was honestly so impressed by each tiny detail from the show that night. From the fans embracing and dancing through each song, to the amazing opening act of Mark Erelli, to the soothing sound of the perfect piano, to the incredibly witty and sweet Carsie Blanton, I had a truly amazing experience. Even the doubts that I had from my first impression of The Black Cat were washed away with every lyric that entered my ears. This modern-day Marilyn Monroe had taken me by surprise and showed me a side of classic American pop music that I had never known before. I cannot express in words how truly talented these artists are. The only way to know for yourself is to go experience it. I highly recommend this music to anyone with a good ear and a hunger for awe-inspiring talent.