Artist Spotlight: Monique Oritz

Certainly, you didn't think we were done with all things Morphine-related yet, did you? Didn't I threaten, er, promise, more pictures, music and the like from the recent Mark Sandman Tribute Concert? Good God, kids, your memory is worse than mine if you forgot already. Maybe it's time to consider cutting down on the whipits and increasing the ginkgo biloba. I'm just saying.

Today, we're going to delve into the musical stylings of Ms. Monique Oritz. Yes, we've spoken about her in the past, but that was for her role in A.K.A.C.O.D. Now we're going to discuss her work with Bourbon Princess.

The way I hear it, Monique was so inspired by the late Mr. Mark Sandman that she decided to pull up roots to get into the Cambridge/Boston music scene, furthering an already growing fan base from Pennsylvania. As with seemingly all my favorite bands from the area, members of Morphine are active players in Bourbon Princess, namely Dana Colley on various horns and Jerome Deupree on the skins. Jim Moran rounds things out, supplying guitar and piano. While there are obvious comparisons to the aforementioned Morphine sound, Oritz instills a world weariness to the proceedings that gives the music an edge of its own. While we're on the topic of subtle nuances, Monique has a voice that stands out on its own, too. For a little slip of a thing, her singing voice might be deeper than mine. Combined with her chilling grooves on fretless bass, it sounds like rumbling thunder on the horizon, a burbling brook of heavy syrup washing over your ear holes. And when is that not a good thing? Never.

Please to be forgiving my not-quite-in-perfect-focus picture of the lovely Ms. Oritz above. My camera is kind of crappy like that. As if I needed to mention, the shot came from the recent Mark Sandman Tribute Concert. Later that night, I ran into Monique and asked her if she minded if I posted some music of hers for all you greedy LET readers. Being the gracious lady she is, of course, she agreed. So it's only fair for you to check her out the next time she's in town (see that widget in the upper right hand corner?) and/or pick up a CD or two before she does.

mp3: The Dream (Bourbon Princess from Black Feather Wings)

mp3: Sleep Deep (Bourbon Princess from Black Feather Wings)