Exile on South Street

I was introduced to Exile in Guyville by a guy I was dating. Kind of ironic when you think about it... or was it a foreshadowing note in our relationship? (we broke up shortly after)

But I remember hearing it for the first time knowing I had never heard anything like it before... and knowing I wanted to listen to it over and over again.

Liz Phair has said that Exile in Guyville is a song-by-song answer to the Rolling Stones' album Exile on Main Street. Not being a big Stones fan, this is slightly lost on me, but what isn't lost is the timeless lyrics and melodies from Phair's debut effort.

I never saw Phair perform to support her first album- not many of us did as her stage fright kept her from performing live. But last night, Jason and I were treated to "An Evening with Liz Phair" to celebrate the re-release and remastering of Exile.

It was at the TLA on South Street, an intimate choice, and the evening promised a live performance of the entire Exile album from start to finish. After seeing her perform in recent years to support not-so-awesome albums, I took the promise with a grain of salt. Would this evening showcase the Liz Phair so many of us fell in love with back in 1993?

After all, I'd heard her song overhead in Ann Taylor Loft once. Liz Phair? The same woman who declared "I'll suck you til your dick is blue" was singing in Ann Taylor loft?? huh??

But last night, she did not disappoint.

We were standing so close to stage, it was difficult not to make eye contact with her as she performed.

Editor's note: It was actually kind of odd when I felt like I did make eye contact... seeing as how I was probably mouthing the words to her songs as she sang them. And the creepy old guy who was waaaay into her was just... creepy...

Still, she was impressive - even if she isn't 6 foot 1, but 5 foot 2. She sounded awesome and stayed true to her word. Every song ( in order! ) was played off of Exile. It was awesome. It was the show we'd been waiting 15 years to see.

Her voice sounded awesome, and with every guitar change and tuning, I was taken back to my college dormroom where I was inevitably trying to convince someone to listen ling and hard to Liz Phair. At one point she even said it was fun to rehash old memories she had of writing the album.

She even busted out a new song off her new record she is finishing. I am staying optimistic about this one, and am confident that after "Why Can't I?" she got the pop "thing" out of her system. I'm hoping for more edgy, raw, cynical and sadness to come through... we've got enough pop-crap on the radio.