Real Love. David Lynch presents Chrysta Bell at Bimbo’s 365 Room in San Francisco, CA.

*This is James Waynauskas’ first assignment for Unsung Melody. We feel he will be a great asset to the site and add yet another distinct, artistic voice to the fold. We hope you enjoy James’ work and help us welcome him to the family. – Jonathan

This past Thursday night, the magnificent Chrysta Bell played Bimbo’s 365 Room in the Marina District of San Francisco. I decided to take in the show after hearing that Bell is a new David Lynch collaborator and muse. David Lynch is a filmmaker and musician that has long been an inspiration to me. In this collaboration, Lynch begins the songwriting process and brings in Chrysta Bell to finish it. The sound and music in his films has always been one of the things that intrigued me. He is great at using sound to give scenes a real mood and atmosphere.

As I walked up to the club I saw that the marquee read David Lynch presents Chrysta Bell. I knew he had put together the visuals for the tour but having his name so prominently on the show, I knew I was about to experience something that would be entirely different and at the very least interesting.

I am sure selecting the right venues for this tour was a big concern. As this isn’t your typical concert experience. Bimbo’s seems like as perfect as a setting as you can find. It is a historic club that still feels very much like it is from another era. With the staff in tuxedos and table seating, it has a classic feel that fits right in with the show and feeds the mood set in place.

To start her set the band took the stage first and started playing the single “Real Love”. I would say that song is the epitome of the David Lynch sound and was a great choice to start the show. Bell started singing from backstage before coming out to rousing applause. Her vocals were strong and she sang with more of a snarl on the repeated line “don’t you cut me” than on the album recording.

After that she moved on to her album’s title track “This Train”. From there she played a mix of songs off the album, a new song and Lynch related covers. During a handful of songs, Chrysta Bell took the time to show that she does more than just sing, as she strapped on her guitar. It was a welcome addition to the already intriguing set.

One interesting point here, between songs there were short interludes of Lynchian style sound setting the mood and continuing to give the show a feeling similar to Lynch’s film work.

About half way through the show Chrysta Bell revealed that she had been back in the studio with Lynch before performing a new song they worked on. The song sounded as if it came directly from the show Twin Peaks and was well received by the crowd. That really has me thinking about what they have in store for us. From there she played a few more album songs before closing the normal set with a show stopping cover of “Sycamore Trees” from the Twin Peaks movie, Fire Walk with Me.

After a very short break Chrysta Bell returned to the stage for an encore. She began with the album track “I Die” before closing with a cover of Beck’s “Black Tambourine”. While the cover was pretty close to the original, her version of the song itself was much more up tempo than the other material played she played on this night, and definitely a fun way to end the show. That particular song is from a key scene in Lynch’s film Inland Empire. Chrysta Bell’s first work with Lynch was also on that same soundtrack.

Be sure and check out my Chrysta Bell photo gallery here.

The show was very much a David Lynch production where Chrysta Bell was the star. Which completely explains why his name was prominently displayed on the marquee. His visuals and interludes added a tremendous amount of his personal style to the show and made it feel much more like an experience than your typical concert. However, even with those touches, they were not heavy handed and the focus was definitely on Bell as she shined through out the night. She had a strong stage presence and moved and sang in a way that added a theatrical quality to the show. Her intensity while performing, as well as her likability during stage banter won the crowd over early. The show, as a whole, was a very unique and great experience.

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Preview or purchase This Train below:

Check out the video for Real Love below: