jamie lidell, the lounge act

Suave and sexy. I'm going to guess that these are not words used to describe Jamie Lidell while he was in high school. I bet, like most truly talented and artistic folks, he didn't fit in.

Revenge is sweet, isn't it? Jamie made the young girls sigh and sway as he strolled on to the stage at The Social on Friday night. Wearing what looked like white patent-leather shoes, dark pants and a white shirt, Jamie completed his ensemble with a silk dining jacket/robe that he probably snagged from Hugh Heffner's closet.

As soon as Jamie started singing, I forgot about how tired I was of waiting for him to start his set. Q-Burns Abstract Message opened the show with a DJ set, and although it sounded great, it was too loud to hold a conversation with my friends. Standing quietly after a 15-hour work day on a left foot swollen from a bizarre allergic reaction from some weird insect bite, I was exhausted and a little uncomfortable. But then Jamie walked on stage and all was forgiven.

Do you remember Ducky singing "A Little Tenderness" in the record store in Pretty in Pink? That's what I kept thinking of. Jamie is a mixture of Otis Redding's raspy pipes and Ducky's sense of style (minus the Elvis hairdo). Jamie transitioned from jazz-infused soul to avant garde electronica that would make both James Brown and Imogen Heap proud as punch. Jamie recorded sounds and replayed them as he went along, similar to Imogen and to Howie Day. The lighting, occasional spin of the disco ball and velvet curtains hung along the back of the stage completed the whole lounge-act feel.

But Jamie was no lizard; his humble warmth and sexy accent made him seem very approachable and down to earth. Of course, "Multiply" stole the show, but "What's the Use" was a crowd favorite, too. I didn't know much about Jamie before the show ... or now, for that matter. Mike and James saw him perform at Coachella and raved about it; so we decided to catch his show in Orlando on a night off from his tour with Beck. And I am so glad we did. Jamie seemed pretty pleased with the response he received, too. I love that -- when you can literally feel the performer living out his/her dream right in front of your eyes.

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Barsuk admitted that it has finally "figured out" how to post videos on its MySpace page. And thank you, Jesus! Check out Barsuk videos on MySpace for videos from Nada Surf, Mates of State and more.

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The AT&T blue room is streaming the Bonnaroo Festival live this weekend. The site also contains archival footage from Coachella. Konichiwa!! Check it out -- after you call your dad. It's Father's Day!

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And speaking of fathers, where have I been? i am fuel you are friends is one of my favorite music blogs. It's smartly written, and I feel a kinship with the author, mostly because we like a lot of the same music, and I trust her suggestions when she recommends new music. I felt a kinship, that is, until she wrote that Boyz II Men's "So Hard to Say Goodbye" was so "eighth-grade graduation." *gulp* Feel ... so ... old. That was my senior song.

But on to my point. She posted the photo below, and I nearly fell out of my chair. How did I miss this? Eddie Vedder has a 2-year-old named Olivia? Wha? Huh? How did I not know this? How does Eddie keep his personal life out of the news? I remember reading something about his wife or girlfriend, and her name wasn't Beth, so I figured he was divorced and seeing someone new. I didn't know he was a daddy, though. Damn, I guess there's no chance it's mine.

Happy Father's Day!!!