This is a rare and important occurrence--Chan Marshall, who records and performs under the name Cat Power, is doing a brief American tour this month, and one of the seven dates she's playing in this country will take place right here in RVA at the National! After a lengthy hiatus from public life, fall 2012 saw Cat Power's return to the music world with Sun, her seventh album and first new full-length release of original material since 2006's The Greatest (she released a covers album called Jukebox in 2008). Several years in the making, Sun began as a set of dark solo tracks more reminiscent of Marshall's early material, which first brought her to fame in the mid-90s. However, she ended up scrapping the earlier versions in favor of a new approach that integrated electronic pop influences into her music for the first time. Sun marks a new era in Cat Power's lengthy, unpredictable, and innovative career, and you'll get to see it come to life onstage at the National only a couple of weeks from now.
WHAT:Cat Power Brings Sun To RVA!
WHERE:The National, 708 E. Broad St.
WHEN: Monday, January 28, Doors at 7 PM
ADMISSION: $25 in advance--advance tickets available HERE/$30 at the door
And now, through the good graces of your friends here at RVA Magazine, you could see this show for free! Just enter your info into the widget below to put yourself in the running for two free tickets to see Cat Power at the National! You've got until Friday, January 18 at 5 PM to enter, but don't wait--jump on that right now!
As a preview of Cat Power's excellent new sound, here's the video for the first single from Sun, "Cherokee." It's not just a great song--it's got an awesome video with a surrealistic Mad Max-style post-apocalyptic zombie vibe to it (and maybe just a hint of Burning Man, if that's your kind of thing). Here it is--enjoy!