DC rock royalty Mary Timony recently played a hometown show at Black Cat to tour her first solo album in nearly 20 years! And from the very first moments, the concert was a testament to her power and influence.
You see, Birthday Girl, a young trio fronted by Mabel Canty (daughter of Fugazi’s Brendan Canty), opened the show, and Mabel was unreserved in her praise of Mary.
Once upon a time, Mabel took guitar lessons from Mary Timony, and Mary heard the unfinished song “Ibuprofen.” “I’m going to produce that song,” Mary declared to Mabel, and she did.
That first song unspooled itself into Birthday Girl’s debut self-titled album, mostly produced by Mabel’s dad and released in 2023. That album happened because of that song, Mabel told a pretty full house at Black Cat on March 14.
Birthday Girl played quite pleasantly through seven of the eight songs from their first record in their opening set at Black Cat. The band opened with “Check Up,” and they later performed standouts “House of Cards” and “Ibuprofen.”
Stream Birthday Girl’s self-titled debut album on Bandcamp:
Birthday Girl also performed three new songs, indicating another release soon is on its way! The audience quickly embraced the new songs, including “Purged” early in the set. In addition to Mabel, the band consists of Isabella MacKaye on bass and Tess Kontarinis on drums. So far in this review, we have mentioned Canty, Fugazi, and now MacKaye, and yes Isabella is the niece of Fugazi’s Ian MacKaye — daughter of Hammered Hulls frontman Alec MacKaye. This is a band with a pedigree!
After Birthday Girl, Mary Timony roared onto stage for a brisk 12-song set that almost seemed like a reinvention of sorts. Mary broke out eight songs from Untamed the Tiger, her new album from Merge Records, opening with “No Thirds.” The song’s guitar melody smacked unmistakably of Ms. Timony, and it really felt connected with the psych-rock of her days in Helium.
At the show’s midpoint, Mary slowed down just a notch for “The Guest” from Untame the Tiger, which to my ears had the unhurried cadence of a classic Western tune. It was a song that really resonated with the room in a salute to loneliness: “You still don’t know my name, and you’re always so cold/ But, in the end, loneliness, I guess you’ve been a friend.”
Watch the official music video for “The Guest” by Mary Timony on YouTube:
Mary closed her main set with “Summer,” the first song shared from Untame the Tiger, and the charming tune also kept us in good spirits with its call to hold onto happiness. In the encore, Mary added Untame the Tiger’s title track, a breakup song that laments a time when “tiger was tamed.” The track progressed like a classic rock epic with a long instrumental lead.
Although the show was relatively short (albeit quite satisfying), Mary didn’t totally forget her past. She performed three Helium songs — “Honeycomb,” “Leon’s Space Song,” and “Walk Away” — enthusiastically revisiting her beginnings as an indie rocker in Boston. And in the middle of the show, Mary added “On the Floor” by Ex Hex, which was an anticipated moment as a member of her band was guitarist Betsy Wright, also of Ex Hex. This hard-driving band was rounded out by drummer David Christian and bassist Chad Molter.
It was exhilarating to witness Mary’s return to the stage — not only because she is a true guitar great but also because she remains true to herself. While I wouldn’t have expected another solo record and a laser focus on the project from her this year, it’s clear that she will do as she pleases and her creative expression springs from this freedom to rock on her own terms. (For the record, last year, I personally might have anticipated another Ex Hex album, and sometimes it’s healthy to be wrong.)
Catch Mary Timony on her solo tour!
Here are some photos of Birthday Girl opening Mary Timony at Black Cat on March 14, 2024. All pictures copyright and courtesy of David LaMason.
Here are some photos of Mary Timony and company headlining Black Cat on March 14, 2024. All pictures copyright and courtesy of David LaMason.
