Reviewer: JWS

NYC ANTIFOLK TOUR: JENN LINDSAY, CASEY HOLFORD, ROBIN AIGNER, PHOEBE KREUTZ (Bitter End, 1981 W Burnside)

Don't be fooled by this event's clever title--it's as folk as it gets this day and age; a glut of passionate poets picking their acoustic guitars and doing that funky scat dance with the head jerking around and the elbows flailing. Make no mistake about it: the ghosts of Ani, Joni, and Bob haunt this thing. Those three ancient figures are also the only ones making any money in this field anymore, which is kind of a shame considering the musical talent on display here, especially in Jenn Lindsay's plucky, stop-start guitar work, is impressive. If only anyone in the group had a speck of melody, irony, or bling to go with the ability. As dictated by the style they've chosen, however, they don't, and so it's coffee shops and Bitter Ends from here on out.