Three quick show reviews for you.

Regina Spektor - Nokia Theater in Grand Prairie - 11/12/09

This is my third time seeing Regina, and the first time I heard her new songs in their entirety. I listened to clips on iTunes but hadn't yet heard the full versions. Of the three shows, this was my least favorite. Regina seemed to rush through the songs and hardly said anything more than "Hi" and "Thank you." She's normally much more talkative and engaging. My sister saw Regina in Austin the night before and said Regain did the same thing in Austin. As always, however, she sounded great and the band helped provide additional texture and dynamics to the songs. I'm not that crazy about her new songs, though. I don't exactly know why, but something is missing that was on the previous albums. I'll look forward to her next record. All in all, I can't complain about the show. Any Regina performance is a treat. Her talent and creativity are hard to match and always put a smile on my face. She played plenty of old songs, including many I wouldn't have expected, and some acapella songs as well, one of which I think was entirely about the color of boys' eyes. She also busted out with Ode To Divorce, which I've never seen her do live.

David Garza - Rock House Films - 11/13/09

I haven't seen David Garza in years. I don't remember when the last show was, but it was at least three years ago. Rock House Films is a "studio" in what amounts to a large-ish living room in someone's condo in Uptown Dallas. It's an intimate place for a performance - only about 70 people fit, all in folding chairs or couches - and the stage has hardly enough room for a drum set, a guitar player, and a bass player. Because we're on the verge of clocking over into the next decade, David made a point to work backwards chronologically through his albums. Since I've been out of the David Garza loop for quite a while, I didn't start recognizing the songs until about half-way through set, or circa 2000. He played many of my favorites from Overdub, This Euphoria, Culture Vulture, and Conmigo. Towards the end of the set, David realized he only had 15 minutes left until the music had to stop, so he raced through a bunch of dance-able songs and a small group of dancers, including CK and me, got up to shake it down in the small space in between the stage and the first row of folding chairs. Afterward, CK and I met David and took a picture, which we're hoping will be sent to us by the photographer girl we met.

Swell Season - Palladium - 11/14/09

CK and I saw Swell Season at this same venue about a year ago, so it was a treat to see them again at the same place and observe the changes in their sound and stage presence. The extra year or touring, recording, and fame fared well on the group. They looked like they were having as much fun as they were last year and they played with as much heart, if not more. I didn't know any of the new songs, but they were great. Glen and Marketa are now touring with Glen's prior band, The Frames, and the added rhythm section, electric guitarist, and violinist really complete their sound. Of course, Glen and Marketa played plenty of songs on their own, but the most rocking moments were definitely with the band. Though there was one exception - a song I was hoping Glen would play. Last year, Glen played a Van Morrison song by himself. It was just his voice and his guitar, and it was awesome. He ripped through chords at light speed - on his acoustic, which seems like it would ruin the guitar, hence the massive holes in his old beat up Takamine - and screamed out the lyrics to the song (not even sure what they are) at the top of his lungs. He sounds like he's exorcising demons. Ridding himself of years of pent-up aggression and emotional baggage. It's quite a sight. At the end of the song, he loops his chords and the end result is a tidal wave of acoustic guitar. Walls of sound run into each other and reverberate against the walls and floors of the venue, flooding the space and then disappearing when he turns off the loop. If you have the chance to see Swell Season on this tour, and you're into the singer-songwriter vibe, go see this show. Their new songs and old songs are all worth hearing - and seeing.