29-year-old Tal Wilkenfeld has really made a name for herself in the short time she has been an active musician. Tal has worked with the likes of Jackson Browne, Macy Gray, Ryan Adams, Herbie Hancock and Jeff Beck to name a few. Currently, she is opening for The Who on their 50th anniversary tour. Working with a diverse collection of accomplished artists lends a hint to the talent Wilkenfeld must possess, while helping to build anticipation to see her perform live.
Headlining her first show in Buffalo, NY, Wilkenfeld played the intimate Tralf Music Hall to a full house. Her band included Tamir Barzilay on drums, Owen Barry on guitar and Chris Price on keyboards and guitar. Wilkenfeld stepped outside of her comfort zone plenty of times during the show, playing an acoustic guitar on a pair of songs “Love Remains” and “Pieces of Me.” Price played sliding guitar on various tracks along with his primary instrument, the keyboards. Barzilay, while showing his talents on various alternative percussion instruments, shined through with his outstanding drum display. Wilkenfeld isn’t known for her vocals but held her own throughout the set. However, her vocal highlight was “Haunted Love,” where she was able to stretch out a bit to showcase some power.
This show was about pushing the musical boundaries in various directions. Willkenfeld and her band did do that and then some. It’s hard to classify a specific type of music in which to categorize Wilkenfeld and her band. She touches jazz, blues, neo fusion, rock, rhythm and blues and Celtic to name a few. Maybe the only disappointment to the audience was her bass solo, simply due to the fact that she hesitated to show that she is more than just a session player, but rather the gifted bass player she really is.
Stay tuned for an exclusive interview conducted with Wilkenfeld before her show.
Setlist:
Killing Me
Under the Sun
The Itch
Counterfeit
Haunted Love
Newborn
Last Goodbye
Love Remains
Fistful of Glass
How Soon is Now?/bass solo/drum solo
Pieces of Me
Corner Painter
Encore:
One Thing After Another
Hard to Be Alone
We would like to thank Brooke Yen from Press Here PR for the credentials to review the show.
