She and Him At Webster Hall


  She and Him // Webster Hall 
  Originally uploaded by ryan muir.

The Gotham Gal and I joined a bunch of friends at Webster Hall last night to see the kickoff show of a tour that M Ward and Zooey Deschanel are doing under the name She and Him. We’ve had their record, called Volume One, for a while now and everyone in the family loves it.

In the beginning I was thinking Matt and Zooey were doing a Johnny Cash and June Carter thing, but by the end it seemed like it was more Linda Rondstat and David Lindley.

Whatever the comparison, these two are making some great music together. She’s got a sugary sweet voice and looks that can kill and M Ward is simply one of the coolest most excellent musicians working today.

They played a mix of Zooey’s songs that were the inspiration for the record and a bunch of covers, many of which are on the record.

I particularly liked the versions they did last night of Smokey Robinson’s You Really Got A Hold On Me (my kids think its a beatles song) and Zooey’s 50s vintage I Was Made For You. I also posted and lotd’d Change Is Hard on my tumblog this morning if you want to check out more of She and Him.

This was their first show of the tour. Zooey didn’t look or act like a rookie. She’s a pro and M Ward is the best. Go see them if you get a chance for a show that will leave you singing and smiling.

#VC & Technology

Comments (Archived):

  1. daryn

    So jealous!

  2. jackson

    Love Zooey. Didn’t know she had a music career. Her brief appearance on Weeds was spectacular. Seen her in some movies as well. She’s a natural performer.

    1. fredwilson

      Check out the tracks jackson. The smokey cover is excellent

    2. jasonoliver

      her role in weeds was classic. she has a very pleasant voice. wish i knew about the concert at webster hall.

    3. Ethan Bauley

      hey jackson, check out this LA-based group Alex & Sam. It’s Aimee Mann meets Band of Gypsys:AlexSamMusic.commyspace.com/AlexSamMusicSamantha was on American Idol for a hot minute, check out this bootleg of her doing “Georgia On My Mind” at an AI audition…SICKhttp://youtube.com/watch?v=…A very interesting case study in “homemade” music/recording vs. labels.

  3. Tony Lopez

    Here they are on Conan, with Yo La Tengo as their backing band. Very cool.

  4. josef

    LOVE this record, but wasn’t sure how I would feel night of so didn’t get tickets. I get a Lrettra Lynn vibe off of it, b/c really, she is the ‘voice’ of this project while he is the mastermind.

  5. nickdavis

    It’s a good record, but it hides M. Ward’s talents way too much. Zooey is great, but M. Ward is a veteran with an amazing catalog of songs. Post-War is one of my all-time favorites.

    1. fredwilson

      I thought that at the show last night but then I realized that he may be smitten with her. I sure am

      1. nickdavis

        That’s an insightful take. Makes a lot of sense.

  6. monsur

    We were at this show too! (We originally had Monday tickets but that show was moved) I totally agree about M. Ward, which I why I’m glad they played Magic Trick for the encore.Zooey has a refreshing humbleness that sets her apart from other actors-turned-musicians. Rather than overextend herself through her celebrity, she stayed true to her music, found a great collaborator in M. Ward, and made an album that stands on its own. I can’t wait for Volume Two!

  7. dennis

    zooey is awesome… i saw her and m.ward play in LA last year at this ‘songs of the city’ event… their rendition of ‘lonesome town’ is magnificent:http://www.youtube.com/watc

  8. Chris Owyoung

    Hi Fred, here are some of the photos I took at the show. – http://onelouderphoto.com/?…Have a great weekend, Chris

    1. fredwilson

      awesome photos chris. i wish i had been as close as you were

      1. chris owyoung

        Thanks Fred. The downside of being close is arriving early enough to make it happen. I see a lot of concerts maybe I’ll see you and Joanne out sometime soon.