On Wednesday, February 1, Hayley Jane will showcase her latest studio album, Idiot Child, a delightful whirl of acoustic burlesque. Playing the punk princess doll, Jane gives her audience quick peeks into her space, filled with the color of ukulele, personal lyrics, and just a little bit of burlesque.
Today’s burlesque, post-punk performers are this generation’s Ziggy Startdust and New York Dolls. All music is performance, all performances are art, all art is personal. One such decendent is Hayley Jane, hailing from Detroit with an act that marries her acoustic songwriting with a stage show of burlesque doll. Touring to support her latest release, Idiot Child, Jane will be playing the Iron Post on Wednesday, February 1.
Jane’s November 2011 studio album contains 12 songs that showcase her songwriter’s touch with a lush backdrop of sound. Her lyrics are personal, political, uplifiting, defiant, with themes of life, maturing, and “accept me as I am.” She focuses on the personal (“dear dear boy, with every breath I take, reminds me of your crooked smile, beautiful mistake.”), an image of oneself (“It wasn’t my fault I was pre-disposed, to be presented and disposed…”), and the reality of making a living in today’s society (“million dollar deal or at least a few meals, I’m just tired of being poor, baby I’m off my high horse.”).
Hayley’s voice ranges from the fairy harmonizing of “No Parking Sign,” to the soft, seductive whisper of “Little Girl, BIG Liar.” Jane’s Ukulele takes center stage on “Domestic Rhapsody” and “Ukulele.”
Hayley Jane will play a Singer Songwriter Showcase at the Iron Post on Wednesday, February 1 at 9:00 pm. The event is sponsored by WPCD FM 88.7 Parkland College and there is a $5 cover charge for the performance. Opening the Evening of Very Original Music are local singer/songwriters: the country-tinged performer Angie Heaton and the folk-styling of Kevin Elliott.