Songs don’t come quickly to Sera Cahoone, but, when they do, they’re polished, beautiful gems. Last month, she released I’ve Missed You All These Years, her first album in nine years. She drew heavily from the album in her recent solo acoustic performance at Jammin Java, her first time playing her own music in the DMV in quite some time.
A native of Colorado, Cahoone sings about her family there in “Deer Creek Canyon.” She’s lived in Seattle since 1998, leading to people to think that “Baker Lake” is set there; it’s actually about a lake in Wisconsin.
At Jammin’ Java on Sept. 29, Sera began her set with a couple of songs from the new album, “I’m No Fool” and the first track, “High and Low.” She followed “Baker Lake” with another old favorite, “Time to Give,” then went back to her new material with “No One Like You.” “Pulling Up Roots,” she explained, is about “overcoming a lot of stuff.” She made a video — something she’s not fond of doing — for “Not How I Hoped,” in which she lays on a blanked looking up at a drone, which she described as “creepy.” I agree: Big Brother is watching!
Watch the official music video for “Not How I Hoped” by Sera Cahoone on YouTube:
Cahoone mentioned how she wrote “Hits Right” at 4am in the morning, something that almost never happens to hear. She heard a melody in her head and recording herself singing it into her phone. “Something Good” is a “sweet love song,” one she doesn’t play often.
Before playing “Say Something,” Cahoone mentioned how much she’s been enjoying this tour. “Dog Song” is about the toy poodle she and her ex had for 16 years, who she described as a bit of a menace. I mentioned how my mom’s second corgi would repeatedly headbutted me in the groin. My mom insisted he didn’t mean to, but I believe he knew exactly what he was doing.
The set continued with “Dusty Lungs” and “Up to Me,” which Sera said she wrote on Whidbey Island in Washington State. She described “Horse Runnin’” as “my silly country song,” then finished her set with “House Our Own.”
Lizzie Weber opened the show. A native of St. Louis, she moved here three weeks ago, to the Mt. Pleasant Neighborhood. She kicked her set off with “You” on guitar, then switched to keys for “Paris.” Weber described “Maria” as “a prayer to the mother of all that there is.” “Spirit Baby,” she said, is about reincarnation.
Watch the official music video for “Lizzie Weber” and “Marketa Irglova” on YouTube:
Lizzie’s set continued with a cover of Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box,” then her own “Truth Teller,” which is “about self-denial and wishing so many people weren’t hung up on it.” Before finishing with “Aftershock,” she mentioned that, despite having lived in Seattle for many years, she never crossed paths with Sera there.
Weber’s music was new to me, and I really enjoyed it. It’s always exciting to have a talented artist take up residence in our area, and I look forward to seeing her play again.
I’ve been a fan of Cahoone for many years, but this was my first time seeing her play, at least her own music. (She plays drums with several bands, so I probably have seen her in that capacity.) I’m delighted she’s put out new music and I got to finally see her, and I hope the wait for the next album is shorter than this most recent one.
