An Evening in Purgatory
Featuring Leche Malo, Zir Indigo, and Taylor Pearlstein
I get off the train at Wilson Ave, a stop on the L I’ve never visited. It’s dusk and the green expanse of the Highland Park cemetery is darkening across the platform, framed by the yellow glow of the subway station. I tread softly down the stairs and two blocks over to enter Purgatory.
I’ve heard great things about the place, a queer-owned bar and venue in Bushwick. Downstairs is mostly empty at this hour, but I explore its nooks and crannies, little red-lit alcoves tucked away and decorated with what seems like art done by patrons.
Upstairs, Leche Malo is finishing their set, the first on tonight’s lineup. I’m here because I’ve booked them to share a bill in late July, already in love with the way their freak-folk songs tread in both reality and magical realism. This is their homecoming show after coasting up California to Washington on tour, and their energy is still admirably high. Frontperson Vincent Randazzo is joined by jazz saxophonist Betty Kean, so the act has temporarily been dubbed “Beche”, and they’ve added upright bassist Dominic LaMorte to tonight’s lineup. I only manage to catch their last two songs, but I’m hooked. More Beche, please!
Next up is Zir Indigo, a relatively new artistic project for Brooklyn based multi-instrumentalist and creative creative Lotus James Rogers. I met Lotus when they played bass in Open Blue, and since they’ve shifted to focusing more on their solo work, I’ve been eager to hear more. Their self-produced track “Flowers” is a dreamy, pretty lilt about coping with anxiety:
For tonight’s show, they fully embrace the Zir Indigo persona, donning sunglasses and chic layers of black and silver. The set kicks off with an unreleased piece showing off Lotus’s unique production skills on a backing track and deep, sensory bass lines. The smoke machine backstage puffs out a cloud that envelops the stage, and everyone’s transfixed. Everything from the vocal and bass performance to their stage presence feels authentically crafted, less a character Lotus puts on and more so an angelic musical spirit they embody with ease.
Next, headliner Taylor Pearlstein was up. Fresh off her performance as Anne Boleyn in the North American tour of the Broadway hit musical SIX, she adapted back to the smaller Purgatory stage like the veteran multi-hyphenate artist she is. Taylor’s writing is achingly sharp, her keenly trained vocals subdued with intentional restraint so as not to overpower her songs. On one newer tune (I think it was called “Back Pocket”?) Pearlstein stepped out from behind her guitar, letting her impressive tone shine more freely, a rewarding moment that tread the line between more nuanced theatrical vocal performance and seasoned singer-songwriter.
Worth the 80-minute round trip to Bushwick, every damn time! Show yourself and your local artists some love and get thee to a local show this week. I’ll be heading to Arlene’s Grocery on Tuesday 6/4 to see Calista Garcia.
My upcoming shows:
6/5 Manhattan, NY at Sofar Sounds *use code MOLLYMUR-JUN05-F6D66 for a free ticket!*
6/18 Manhattan, NY for Unplugged NY at Nublu Classic
6/30 Brooklyn, NY at C’Mon Everybody w/ Leche Malo, Yael S. Copeland
8/16 Wilmington, NC at Bourgie Nights w/ Olivia Gillaspie, Fudge
Molly! Thank you for this lovely and thoughtful review of our magical night!!