Photo by Steven M. Meyer

Mother Feather
Bowery Electric
New York, NY
April 13

Brooklyn based band, Mother Feather, played the Bowery Electric on Friday the 13th along with two openers. Unfortunately, the band was down a member as Lizzie Carena (vocals, keys) watched from the audience after getting emergency surgery, but Mother Feather still managed to rock the house.

The first opener of the night, Greg Smith & the Broken English, were an instrumentally talented Americana rock band. The six piece group seemed to hit their stride on their heavier songs but never fully captivated the audience. The following band, Empire Beats featuring Camille Atkinson, kicked things up a notch when the larger-than-life soul singer burst onto stage mid-song in what seemed like a witch costume. The band broke out into some funky numbers accompanied by the tambourine and saxophone and Atkinson’s voice was the perfect complement, drenched in sensuality. The vivacious singer had the room in her hand with her commanding stage presence and had Mother Feather’s lead singer, Ann Courtney, dancing to the music while the crowd threw their hands in the air. Singing songs about high-heeled shoes, butts and gumbo while throwing back some southern comfort, the band easily kept the room entertained.

When Mother Feather took the stage, Courtney made a dramatic entrance in a Mother Feather velour jacket and immediately began jumping around wildly. The punk rock/burlesque glam of the band was ever present, with their face make-up and powerful force and fire. Lizzie’s absence was greatly missed on stage, not only musically, but also as an intricate part of the performance. Lizzie and Ann’s chemistry always makes for a great show, feeding off one another, but Ann’s back-bending cries and contagious energy held the stage well and had the audience dancing and jumping.

During popular song, “Trampoline” Ann ripped off her jacket, leaping around in a bright red leotard with leather gloves and long fringe. The room sang along to every word and Ann offered the mic back and forth to the crowd. Straying from high-energy songs, the band played a few slow songs and Courtney’s vocal prowess complimented catchy guitar riffs and heavy bass licks. The singer’s wide-range of vocals has a heart-breaking quality and a rawness that translates beautifully on slower songs and watching Lizzie sing along with Ann from the audience was a poignant display of the band mates bond.