Amy Lavere isn’t a household name. But she should be. Really, you should go out and knock on your neighbor’s doors and when they open, just say “Amy Lavere” and run off to the next house.  Eventually you will be arrested, possibly tased, but it is all in a good cause.

Before hanging a genre label on Lavere, there should be a great deal of thought. The rather meaningless label of Americana (aka country music by Yankees or people from big cities who have never seen a decent sized patch of grass, let alone the country) might be applied. Lavere is from Louisiana so no need for that Americana crap. You could then move on. But for some reason Lavere, in her subtle defiance of genre, almost craves some label, some box to place her in. Is it swing? Nah, not nearly dancy enough. Sometimes there are hints of “jazz combo” but isn’t dust covered, hidebound and mind numbingly mathematical. It isn’t revivalist Old Time Country. It is all sorts of things brought together with skill and excellent playing and, on her record, production.

Her new record, Stranger Me, has a Captain Beefheart song, Candle Mambo, on it. Think of a swing cum country cum Americana (ugh) cum jazz band playing THAT. Lavere also cannot be compared to the plethora of other--often good- women singer/songwriters out there. Sometimes in ability but not in unorthodox musical choices that are not limited only to covers.

You know…there may even be some rockabilly in there but the non-terrible kind. Maybe Zydeco? She is from Louisiana. So how about swingoldtimejazzcountryzydecorockabillybutnotreallyanyofthatstopwiththelabels. It is a cumbersome name for a new genre but it may catch on.

When you first hear Lavere’s voice live you might thing it sounds sort of “baby doll" almost fragile but keep listening. She could probably sing everything from death metal to Chinese opera. It is likely she won’t. But she could.

Some folks will compare her to Patsy Cline. It isn’t totally apt nor totally wrong but Lavere has a better voice, a voice capable of more (let the country music purist death threats begin!).

But the point isn’t to belittle an icon and a legend. Lavere can sing and the impression of fragility is a fitting counter-point, using the non-musical sense of the term, to that moment in the show when the audience hears the power in her voice.

Another issue is this; Lavere is an attractive woman. There is a tendency (and this is true of women as well as men) to have a prejudice against attractive female musicians—at least in the “take them serious” way. It is as if a woman can be TOO pretty to be good. This is stupid. She is good. She is better than good. She can play like a no one’s business and she doesn’t miss a note when she sings. And she is playing a stand up bass. So if you have this in your head, get it out. If you didn’t? Good or you (seriously, good for you).

Now, that said, there seemed to be a large number of smitten men in the audience—of a wide range of ages. Before one song she said “There is a very cheap trick with this song and it requires whiskey.” She got her drink and she could have likely asked for the bottle. Half the audience would have left their wives (or husbands) right then, even if they were with their wives. Some of the wives/husbands would have said, “Ok. I totally understand.”

Lavere’s tour continues. You can find out more about her on her website, amylavere.com. If you are on the West Coast? Her tour picks up there in September, 2011. Well, it starts CLOSE to the West Coast in Arizona. Get out to see her.

David Cousar (more on Cousar HERE) played with Lavere and opened the set with three solo songs. He demonstrated that he has a right hand like a metronome but a metronome with soul. A solo set by Cousar would be something to see as well. Shawn Zorn (drums) and Krista Wroten  (violin/keyboards) round out Lavere's band. Wonderful musicianship.

James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem and deejay Marcus Lambkin, aka Shit Robot, founded a deejay partnership in 2000 while working in New York City.  It was rather short-lived, however, as Lambkin, left New York for Germany in 2004.

Friday night the pair was together again, performing individual deejay sets at Chicago’s The Mid. The experience was, well, not exactly what I expected.  (Note to naysayers: I am not nay-saying.)

First, I hadn’t anticipated a midnight opener, Shit Robot, followed by a 1:30 a.m. headliner, James Murphy. Let’s just say it’s been a long time since my idea of nightlife involved more morning hours than evening. 

Second, I’d braced myself for a full-blown “club kid” scene, brimming with pretty young things sporting flashy attire and dilated pupils. The Mid is, after all, an unapologetic, late-night dance club that regularly hosts some of the world’s most popular deejays. 

I was wrong about the scene. It was more a typical concert-going crowd than club-kid crowd. But you’ll get no complaints from me in that department.  Folks were almost exclusively civilized, despite the place being jam-packed.

The moments leading up to Shit Robot taking the stage the main dance floor and balcony were busy, but in no way crowded. As soon as he arrived the entire club rushed the main floor and were hanging over every available inch of the 2nd floor balconies. It was a ShitFest!

And okay fine:  I was also wrong about the music.  

Mind you, it isn’t that the show wasn’t good; it was. Solidly so. It’s just that--Well, in the interest of full disclosure, I love LCD Soundsystem. I was briefly angry – very angry – at James Murphy when he announced LCD’s handful of April shows in New York City would be their last. From the moment I bought it, I have greedily drunk the dance-pop Kool-Aid that is This Is Happening, LCD’s final (and truly brilliant) recording.  

So the reality is I’d hoped to hear large chunks of LCD Soundsystem admittedly unfair to ask, particularly of Shit Robot. But failing that, I’d hoped to hear a wide array of DFA sounds. DFA Records is the label co-founded by Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy. After all, there are plenty to choose from: DFA has produced and/or remixed such artists as Gorillaz, Chemical Brothers, N.E.R.D., Hot Chip, UNKLE, LeTigre, The Juan MacLean and M.I.A. Impressively, DFA’s remix of M.I.A.’s popular Paper Planes appeared on the Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack.

Nevertheless, both Shit Robot and James Murphy – who briefly spun together, which was a lot of fun – kept the beats going and the crowd moving. I’m happy with that. 

For better or worse, today is a new day. LCD Soundsystem is no more.  But I’m just glad James Murphy hasn’t, as they say, gone back to his day job. At age 22, he toyed with the idea of working as a writer for the sitcom, Seinfeld. 

Murph is still in the music biz. And DFA Records continues to attract and collaborate with compelling artists, Shit Robot among them. 

Yes, as it turns out, all is good is DFA-Murphland.