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I went to see Jim White and the Handsome Family last night–alone, because Kara had to work and I hadn’t been able to find anyone else who even knew who they were, but having heard the Handsome Family’s live CD and heard good things about their shows from numerous people, I really wanted to see them–and I really like Jim White’s stuff, which I discovered only recently when two different people sent me “The Wound That Never Heals” within the space of a week, demonstrating that anyone who knows me knows that I appreciate a good song about a woman killing people.

Anyway, so I went, and it turned out they were having it in the Orpheum’s little side theater, and I got there at like 8:10 and they wouldn’t let anyone in yet despite the ticket’s claim that the doors opened an hour before the show was scheduled to start at 9:00.

So I was standing out there, and there was another woman already hunkered in another doorway to get out of the wind, who said knowingly to me, “Ten minutes, huh?”

We started talking, and I introduced myself with my usual rhymes-with-Scrabble spiel, and then a few minutes later I said something about sociology, and she said, “Wait… I know who you are. You have a blog!”

Crazy.

About ten minutes later, they did let us in, and we sat up in the third row and chatted until Jim White came out and started his set. I didn’t really know how he was going to be in person, and I was at first not encouraged by his opening rendition of “Handcuffed to a Fence in Mississippi,” which I didn’t like much–and I love that song. But then he started talking and was hilarious, and I actually liked the rest of his performance a lot–it was just that one song that compared badly to the album version.

(”You know, my record company tries to sell me as some kind of tortured, demented poet, when in fact, deep down, I’m a comedian. I’m like the opposite of Woody Allen.”)

During the intermission, I bought his first CD (Wrong-Eyed Jesus) and babbled at him about how people kept playing “The Wound That Never Heals” (which he hadn’t actually played in his set, sadly) and how much I loved it.* I should not be allowed to talk to people who I think are cool.

Jim White also had a suitcase full of clothing he calls the “Jimbotique,” clothes he purchased for himself that turned out not to fit. A one-man traveling folk singer thrift store. Keep an eye out.

The Handsome Family were as excellent live as their live CD and the reports of others suggested, but they didn’t finish their set until midnight, by which time, no reflection on them, I was getting pretty yawny. They played “Weightless Again,” which is one of my favorites and the first song I ever heard by them (thanks, frippy!), and they closed their set with “Barbara Allen,” a Child ballad, so that was cool.

Afterwards, I walked home, which wasn’t far, but it was SO COLD.** I am ready for spring.

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*”The Wound That Never Heals” is on No Such Place, which I already own. I bought his first album because it had “A Perfect Day to Chase Tornadoes” on it, which I had never heard until last night and which I love. Apparently he has yet to release another song I liked, “Diamonds to Coal,” so keep an eye out for that.

**Jim White told us at one point that he was going to sing a song about weather, and that when he performed this song in California people just stared at him, but that he knew we would understand.