OurStage

"Matt Nathanson and UConn student Vanessa Kafka wowed the audience Saturday at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts. The two left the crowd satisfied with their acoustic guitar sets..."

"If you're in the mood for something a little different, something to help you kick back and enjoy your summer yet still touch your heart, check out this vastly talented young singer/songwriter Vanessa Kafka. In her soft, poignant songs you'll hear...." Check out the full review and learn about some other great upcoming artists over at The Ripple Effect.

Now that we’re approaching the anniversary of our first full year of Ripple service, The Pope, Rock Iguana and I have been around long enough to anticipate new releases from some of our earlier discovered Ripple favorites. Already, bands like Mountain Mirrors, Heavy Water Experiments, Braintoy and Dream Aria have followed up early releases with newer, grander albums. And now, perched poetically on the edge of my desk here at the Ripple office, sits the long-awaited, brand new release from one of our favorite singer-songwriters, Vanessa Kafka. It was way back in June that we first heard the dreamy tones of Vanessa’s musical creation, alerted by her friend Kristen at Aberrant Sound/Brewhouse Records and it didn’t take more than a few listens to her myspace offerings for me and the Pope to recognize that we were tuning in to something special. Three months later, with the release of her debut full-length CD, Into Place, Vanessa just went ahead and surpassed our grandest expectations. A singer gifted with a voice of uncommon beauty, Vanessa has crafted a dreamy, atmospheric yet rootsy, heart-felt collection of telling and poignant songs. Early Ripple favorites “Silhouette,” “If He Stays,” and “Tell Me So,” sit comfortably with new songs like “Better,” creating a CD full of power, romance and touching splendor. The impeccably clean production never loses its warmth or intimacy, drawing you into the vastness of Vanessa's heart, fully exposed on this album. Like a fire crackling on a cold winter's night, Vanessa beckons to you, drawing you in, wrapping around you in a cocoon of dreamy melodies. Like the fire, her music is naked and slightly dangerous, yet comforting and mesmerizing. Raw, yet refined. It is the music of emotion, hers and ours, shared and individual, personal and universal. Blessed with a voice that fits somewhere between Suzanne Vega, and Natalie Merchant, with traces of the mournful intonations of Sarah McLachlan, Vanessa has no difficulty carrying the heart-wrenching emotion of her songs. Accompanied by a top-notch group of musicians, including her producer and guitarist, Brian Sargent, the music comes to life effortlessly around her, like a field of clouds carrying her in its wispy path through tales of broken hearts, shattered dreams, and ultimate hope. “Speak in Words,” starts us off on our journey through Vanessa’s heart, delicate and fragile, riding on the muted notes of a single guitar. As the band kicks in, so does the power of Vanessa’s voice. Sounding strongly reminiscent of Natalie Merchant on this track, the verses build in intensity, the band growing in fervor, Vanessa’s voice rising in power as she searches for a lost connection with her lover. A dynamite opening track, revealing the full intention of where Vanessa plans to take us with this disc. “Better,” packs solid hooks into its dramatic guitar playing, hinting at Jewel without the coy preciousness. Then “Silhouette,” picks up the pace, riding a toe-tapping beat, jaunty guitar strumming and a melody as sweet as cotton candy. As “Sink,” slows things down a bit, listen for the absolutely perfect transition from that track to the slightly, down-home funky “Forgery.” I had to replay my CD player 3 or 4 times to fully absorb the subtle beauty of that mood change. Dig the loosely-strung guitar playing and Vanessa’s voice as she gets just a little bit mean and nasty. No two ways about it, that track is a winner and will be undulating from the Ripple speakers for a long time to come. The vaguely Suzanne Vega-esque vocal phrasing of “If He Stays,” follows, a shimmering piece of rootsy pop perfection. Into Place isn’t a rocking album, not something to accompany your nights shooting pool with the boys or watching NASCAR with your friend the plumber, but it’ll be a damn fine listen the morning after. An album to listen to, to mediate over, to use as your own catharsis, discovering emotions that perhaps you never took the time to express yourself. I could go on about each song, but that may dampen your own thrill of discovery, so I’ll call it here. Just know that a new voice is in town that just demands to be heard. So grab a hot cup of tea, sit with your dog on the back deck, scratching him behind the ears in time to the drums, watch the hummingbird flutter back and forth in your flower garden and sit a while with this one. Let it enter you. Let it fill you. You just might find out something about yourself in the process. --Racer

An old friend turned me on to local Boston singer-songwriter Vanessa Kafka a couple of months ago and I was immediately drawn in by the whole pop-sounding, girl with a guitar thing that she has going on. Tonight (I’m just as shocked as you are that I’m being prompt with the write-up), was her first since she dropped her newest release “Into Place,” which you can see above. The timing of everything seemed right. The weather in Boston is starting to cool (got to wear a jacket tonight with a hoodie), which makes discovering a new acoustic-guitar based band all the more fitting. I got there just in time and immediately ordered a Miller High Life (it seems to be my beer of choice when I’m discovering new things like bands, food and hidden talents). This was Kafka’s first show since her album was released on Sept. 16 and it gave the show a certain electric feel. It’s always special to be there for the birth of an artist and to see how she handles this new-found position on stage. With equal parts giddy (”I have merch! How cool is that?”) and vulnerability in her voice, it was easy to tell that this moment, standing on stage and looking out to a crowd of friends, was special for her. But something else shined through. Towards the end of her short set, she played a song called “Tell Me So,” a song that has Kafka picking at the guitar while she sings about love. At the show, it was one of the only times where Kafka seemed to be someone else on stage, when the artist inside was coming out and she was doing more than simply playing music. From there, she launched into her fan-favorite/indie hit “Silhouette,” an insanely catchy tune that would be at home on a soundtrack to a movie about a roadtrip out West (or even during a “special” moment on Grey’s Anatomy…I don’t watch the show I swear). The melody stayed rattling around in my head as I drove with the windows down, taking in the autumn air, wondering what other musical finds would come my way this season…and how many new artists will have their big moment at TTs.