Melanie Krahmer and Rich Libutti will be downstate for two revolutionary shows this week
Wednesday, June 16, Lakeside Lounge, 162 Ave. B, free, 9:00
Thursday, June 17, the Bitter End, 147 Bleecker St., $10, 7:30
www.myspace.com/sirsy
Albany-based DIY two-piece Sirsy has been around for the better part of a decade, averaging about 250 gigs a year, so it’s not exactly an overnight success story now that their 2007 self-produced album REVOLUTION is being remixed and remastered for release this summer by Funzalo Records. Lead vocalist, stand-up drummer, flutist, and lyricist Melanie Krahmer and guitarist Rich Libutti are dedicated Paul McCartney fans who have been making soulful indie pop on such albums as BAGGAGE, AWAY FROM HERE, and RUBY and covering such tunes as the Beatles’ “Don’t Let Me Down,” the Eurythmics’ “Here Comes the Rain Again,” and Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues.” On REVOLUTION, Krahmer, whose voice can go from high to low register from one line to the next, sings about love and heartbreak and the sadness of letting one’s life slip by, from the upbeat, groovy title track to the sweet ballad “Still.” Regularly named Best Local Band by the readers of the Albany alternative weekly Metroland, Sirsy’s name is a homonym for the daughter of the Sun God as well as meaning intoxicating or alluring, two words that fit their music as well, including such newer songs as “The Cost of You,” in which Krahmer sings, “Oh, the bet was true / But I spent the cost of you / And I’ve lived for less / But it kills me to confess,” and “Goner,” in which she declares, “Arrest my heart for treason / I don’t want to fall for love / I spy a thousand reasons / I don’t want to fall for love / Our crimes change us like seasons.” Upstate native Krahmer and Providence-born Libutti will be in the city this week for two shows, at the Lakeside Lounge on June 16 and the Bitter End on June 17.