Soulsavers Archives - owl and bear

Mark Lanegan - September 12, 2009 View more photos on our Facebook page.

The prospect of moody singer-songwriter Jonneine Zapata opening up for Mark Lanegan and Soulsavers seemed like a winner.

As it turned out, Redghost, the first act, was probably the highlight of the night. And that should say something, since her solo set consisted of smokey vocals over guitar loops, delivered to an audience that eventually resigned to chatter. She did, however, inspire me to coin a ruleâ€”let’s call it Harry’s Lawâ€”in which an audience will be politely receptive to solo artists, but if attention isn’t kept rapt, the audience will grow chatty in proportion to the setlist’s length. By song five of Redghost’s set, at least half of the show’s attendees were talking amongst themselves.

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Plagued by demons? Don’t worry about it. Is your immortal soul in need of saving? We’ve got just the thing. Do you enjoy the pairing of “magnificently mournful” musicians? We’ve got you covered there too.

Highland Park songstress Jonneine Zapata will be on hand to exorcise your demons this Saturday, September 12th, at the Casbah. Lending a hand for the night’s rites will be former Screaming Trees front man Mark Lanegan, backed by the UK’s divine Soulsavers.

Zapata combines the pacing of Low with the grittiness of P.J. Harvey (with whom Lanegan has recorded, to much acclaim), to create a style as beautiful as it is intense. She’s relatively new to the music scene; she’s been writing for several years, but only got serious in November 2008. It didn’t take long for her to make a name for herself, though, and she just released an album, Cast the Demons Out. For a sample, check out the track “Good Looking” (MP3).

In addition to Mark Lanegan’s work with the Screaming Trees, he has released a slew of solo albums, including 2004’s terrific Bubblegum. Of late, he is best known for his collaborations, which include duets with Belle & Sebastian’s Isobel Campbell, his Gutter Twins album with the Twilight Singers’ Greg Dulli, and two records with Soulsavers, the UK-based production team with whom he’s currently touring. They’re here to support Broken, their latest effort together.

Blending gritty melancholia with morose wisdom, Jonneine Zapata and Lanegan are pretty much kindred spirits, which makes their Casbah appearance seem so promising.

Even if you’re going just to see Laneganâ€”who rarely plays anywhere, let alone San Diegoâ€”be sure to get there early to catch Ms. Zapata. With any luck, there will be duets. We’ll be there to report the results and sip on some Jameson holy water.

Full list of Soulsavers/Lanegan/Zapata tour dates after the jump. Continue reading →