Rebekka Fisher's Hit Parade

I saw Rebekka Fisher's Hit Parade Friday 7/19/08 at The Breakaway in Robbinsdale, MN, and these are my impressions.
I was told RFHP was "a five-piece, kind of bluesy, pretty good" before the show by the Breakway staff. Since the Twins game was just about over, I moved into the "stage area" to watch the act. The "crowd" was microscopically small, consisting of me, three apparent female friends of the band, the sound man and the video man. Two other women sat down for about seven songs later in the second set, also apparently friends of the band. I left just before midnight.

As a putative five piece, I expected two guitars, bass, drums and vocals. Instead I was pleasantly surprised to find one guitar, bass, drums, saxophone (treble?), and vocal/keyboards. Out front were two women, Rose Duffy and Rebekka Fisher. Rose was the saxophone player and backing vocals, and Rebekka Fisher had the keys and frontwoman tasks. Behind were the three Steves; in some cases Steve was the surname, in others it was the first.

As far as individual musical efforts, it was a mixed bag. Guitarist Steve was buried in the mix for the vast majority of the tunes, and seemed to like it that way. It was mostly rhythm, and it seemed lackluster. He stood out in the first set with a blues number with him on vocals. After that, he slid back into obscurity for the set. Drummer Steve was hidden behind his kit, leading off with erratic cues and pulling off polished endings; no vocals. Bassist Steve was solid as hell, falling into a groove, staying there and plucking fill; no vocals. Rose played strongly and sang competently, but only in a minor and sporadic role. Rebekka was the "star" with stunning vocals and part-time keyboards that seemed an afterthought.

Stage performances were, in most cases, marginal. Bassist Steve, in the wing, was "working" and only became expressive on a few numbers. Guitarist Steve seemed to move as far to the wing as possible and seemed disinterested. The fractionally-visible head of Drummer Steve appeared engrossed and distant. Rose seemed uncomfortable on stage, as if she had lost a bet and was compelled to perform. Rebekka was vibrant, expressive, and comfortable being the focus of attention, though she frequently forgot the lyrics and lost her place on keys. Her schtick was cutesy/sexy, but how many times can you brush away your hair from your eyes before it gets old? If you see the act, you will find out.

The numbers? About 90% covers (hence Hit Parade), with about six originals mixed in. The first set was much tighter than the second. The second set featured the worst song of the evening (that I saw, anyway), which was "Miss You". Guitarist Steve did vocals, off time and forgettable. The entire thing virtually collapsed at one point as Drummer Steve lost the mark, Guitarist Steve drifted somewhere else, Rebekka fumbled around on keys while making futile efforts to cue others, and Bassist Steve held his ground for whatever it was worth at that point.

Overall, my impression was that the band hadn't played together in weeks. They worked from a book, had wobbly starts on most numbers, lacked improv skills, relied on Rebekka's hand cues, and had virtually no interplay. I paid nothing, so it was worth every penny. It's a decent act to dance to, and Rebekka is entertaining. Beyond that, the group is merely a vehicle to support Rebekka Fisher's vocal and performance talents.

Todd Dugdale
sirius@theskytonight.com
http://theskytonight.com