ALCHEMIST

10:30 PM at GRETEL
435 South Huntington Avenue, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts 02130
Cost: Always Free

While doubt and anxiety are common 21st century preoccupations (boo hoo), Gretel’s honesty is of the type that’s usually reserved for confessionals and bathroom stalls. Lyrics of disappointment and denial, tales of death and fatalistic flippancy all shimmer with precision and intensity, while the melodies and harmonies, the arrangements and energy of their live shows suggest that something better might be possible. This Boston-based group, led by songwriter and mouthpiece Reva Williams, are currently about to begin a helter skelter tour out to St. Louis and back. Their most current studio project, The Meteorite, has been born and is available for purchase. With a five and dime store’s approach to off-beat instrumentation​ (typewriter, bucket, and saw to name a few), the sound is eclectic, borrowing from folk music, alt country, punk, the blues, and domestic life. Whether through the ecstatic heights of an operatic line, the muddy optimism of a gospel choir, or the feel-good sneaking sorrow of a country tune, Gretel’s palette is broad. Each song sits within its own well-deserved world, refreshingly interpreted and never underexposed. Band Members Reva Williams -- acoustic guitar, lead vocals, hand and foot percussion::: Melissa Myers -- keys, vocals, bucket, saw, stunt double::: Phil DuPertuis -- bass, acoustic guitar, vocals, harmonika:::