barbara manning
august 26, 2001 • sit & spin, seattle wa
• review by janice • photos by mike


review: "When I first started to hear Barbara Manning, I think her singing really made me think it would be good to sing more, it would be ok, it wouldn't sound bad. She's definitely one of my favorites. She gave me inspiration to sing more." --- Georgia Hubley, Yo La Tengo (Chickfactor, Winter 1995)

"I had the blessed opportunity to spend a couple of hours with [Barbara Manning]. She's my hero. She is one hell of a woman. She's completely overwhelming. I was paralyzed by her." --- Bridget Cross, Unrest (Chickfactor, Winter 1993)




Okay, kids, let's get something straight here: Barbara Manning is the original. She is the legend that inspired so many of the bands that we rock out to today. But why is it that hardly anyone has heard of her? Even hipster-cartoonist/Ghost World-guy Daniel Clowes is a fan: he drew a picture of her playing guitar as a gift. And while we acknowledge bands like Unrest and Yo La Tengo for having inspired so many bands today, it seems we fail to recognize just who inspired them!

Well, the crowd at Sunday night's show at the Sit & Spin were there to represent, as Barbara performed old classics and new material off her latest album, You Should Know By Now. The 36-year-old Manning looked just as lovely as she did 13 years ago when she released her first solo CD Lately I Keep Scissors, and she's now joined on stage by The Go-Luckys!, German twins Flavio and Fabrizio.

The new band works sooo well! Both Flavio and Fabrizio are amazing musicians! Fabrizio played these soaring, firey guitar solos that proved that just because you were raised on 80's Hair Metal, it doesn't mean you can't be an indie rocker. And Flavio hit the skins with such diversity for every song. And, of course, Barbara is a veteran who attacked each song with total gusto. I swear, I think she could give David Gedge of the Wedding Present a run for his money when it comes to speedy guitar strumming. That girl's hand was just a blur! And her voice, as always, so sweet and so strong.

I also loved the interaction between the three. Barbara and Fabrizio would whisper titles back and forth between songs. At one point, Barbara replied emphatically, "Noooo!!!" when he suggested something for their next track. It was totally cute and endearing.

And the set itself was sooo good! Barbara brought out old tracks like "Lately I Keep Scissors" and the excellent "Dock Ellis" about a baseball player who pitched a no-hitter while totally tripped out on acid. The latest songs are just as fantastic: "Buds Won't Bud" is a total rocker, while "I Insist" has a gorgeous melody that reminds me a lot of her earlier works.

On stage, Barbara just glows. That may sound cheesy, but she really does. She just has such a screamingly-obvious passion for her craft, and such a strong enthusiasm for playing! Seeing her perform is really such a treat, and it really swept me off my feet. I've mentioned elsewhere on this website, she ended her encore with "Sympathy Wreath" which I've read is about the break-up of one of her first bands, but when I was a high-schooler it meant something different for me. It was the song that sat at the tip of my tongue all night, as I struggled to gather the courage to shout it out. Before she started playing, she jokingly extended an invitation for someone to jump on stage and sing the harmonies with her if they knew the parts. Well, if I couldn't even muster the courage to shout out that request, you can probably guess that I wasn't brave enough to run up there and sing, but Lord knows, I really wanted to.

After we left the show, I couldn't stop agonizing about it! I couldn't even fall asleep that night because over and over, I thought to myself, "You blew the chance to sing with Barbara Manning!!! What is wrong with you?!?!" Let's just say that if she ever comes back to Seattle, I won't make that same mistake twice. : )