I am an impulse buyer.
There is a time ? I think it's around 3 a.m. ? when I will buy anything. The Internet makes it so easy. I'll buy movies, books, music ... whatever I deliriously decide I need.
It's not healthy for my checking account, but sometimes, it turns out to be a good thing.
On Sept. 19, The Jennie DeVoe Band played at the Student Center for BSU Late Nite. Now, I'd never been to Late Nite before, but some friends who had seen DeVoe in Indy told me she was fantastic, so I went.
Boy, were they right.
I spent ... well, I spent a lot more money than I should have at a free concert. I bought every album she had for sale. It was, beyond a doubt, an impulse buy.
But it was an amazingly good idea.
Sometimes, you forget how good a concert can be. Sometimes, you forget how much music can involve you.
I won't forget for a while, thanks to my purchases.
DeVoe was that good. It wasn't just her hurricane of a voice or the amazing skill of her guitarist and drummer.
It was the smart, sarcastic lyrics -- mostly composed by DeVoe and her songwriting partner, Brett Lodde -- that had something genuinely different to say about life and relationships.
It was the tapping of DeVoe's bare foot on her stool.
It was her stage presence.
DeVoe was confident without being haughty.
This concert was a communal exercise. She talked and joked with the audience. Her drummer threw a drumstick to one of my friends. Another friend, Lindsey, was so jealous that the drummer gave her the other half of the pair after the show.
I didn't get such a personal souvenir, but I did get an autograph on one of my impulse-bought CDs.
I've never been to a concert worthy of the name that was so cheap, and only rarely to one so good.
Now, there's a good reason that I don't normally write music reviews for the < I>Daily News< I>.
No, I'm not referring to my lack of taste. Shut up.
I'm referring to the fact that I am typically months or years behind the curve when it comes to discovering new artists, and, as it turns out, this case is no exception.
Audiences in Indy -- where DeVoe is based -- have known about her for quite some time. She has been recognized by readers of Indianapolis Woman and NUVO Newsweekly, and she has sold over 20,000 CDs. Indianapolis Star columnist David Lindquist has been singing her praises for years and now recognizes that she is "perhaps the most in-demand artist in town."
In this case, though, I wasn't alone in my ignorance. Although DeVoe was born in Muncie and graduated from Ball State, no else at the < I>Daily News< I> knew enough about her to consider mentioning her Late Nite appearance in our < I>72 Hours< I> weekend pullout.
So, I am correcting that omission now. Visit www.mp3.com, where you can download three of DeVoe's songs for free. If you like what you hear, consider stopping by the Rathskeller in Indianapolis on Oct. 10 and hearing DeVoe's band live. It's free and an experience not to be missed.
You'll know I'm there when you hear the quiet whimpering of my checkbook as I approach the table with the T-shirts.
Write to Stephen at stevehj@mac.com
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