I seem to remember Erin McKeown being a little taller than she actually is. Maybe it's just because the last time I saw her live, I was sitting toward the top of the hill at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival a few years ago. Her smile, however, is just as captivating, whether standing two rows away from the stage at a small acoustic music bar, or at the top of a hill on someone's ranch, looking down at the stage below.

Sing You Sinners

Tonight, as usual, McKeown is on. Backed by three of the most proficient supporting players I've seen in some time, McKeown immediately saunters into performing songs from her latest album, Sing You Sinners. First up is the fun, tongue-in-cheek tune "Thanks For the Boogie Ride." This is followed pretty early on by the taunting "I Was a Little Too Lonely, You Were a Little Too Late," which, she tells the audience, she originally heard being sung by the "straight, creamy" voice of Nat King Cole. "We are none of those things," she jokes. "Our version is more like You missed out, b****es."
As the 90-minute set progresses, McKeown takes plenty of opportunities to not only show off her impeccable lead guitar skills, but also the impressive instrumentation of her bandmates. Drummer/percussionist Allison Miller dances behind her kit, making her extensive drum solos look far too natural and easy, while keyboardists Sam Kassirer and Art Hirahara give equally distinguished solos.

McKeown's schtick for the night is crowd participation, since her jokes aren't working quite as well as planned.

Seattle audiences do tend to be a little harder to rope in than others, and McKeown quickly finds her niche with this group of admirers.

Everyone Starts Whistling

She pulls the crowd in about halfway into the set while performing "Coucou" from Sinners. Impeded by the creamed spinach she had for dinner next door, McKeown's whistling solo isn't coming off so well. It doesn't take much to get the whole crowd whistling for her, and her wide smile shows her amusement at the communal solo. "Y'all are so pliant," she beams. "I'm gonna have to think of more stuff for you guys to do."
Crowd favorites include McKeown's own "La Petite Mort"—during which she gets the crowd to call out, "Oh Estelle"—and "Rhode Island is Famous For You," from Sinners. Nothing holds a candle, though, to her choice of encore tunes. "If You a Viper" goes over like gangbusters on this crowd, particularly with the long, slow, stoney solo from guest saxophonist Jessica Lurie, which ends only after Miller tosses a cymbal on the ground by Lorrie's feet.

By the time her set is spent, McKeown has established a fierce rapport with the packed crowd, who are sad to see her go. With a performance that ranges from mastery to playfullness and songs that integrate everything from folk to jazz to rock and roll, McKeown's live energy is stellar. It's only a matter of time before the world finds out about, and falls in love with, Erin McKeown.