What is it that makes a woman fierce? Rocking an avant-garde look? Commanding the attention of a room? Leading a group of men into battle?
All of the above for front-woman of the Mynabirds, Laura Burhenn. The moment that Burhenn took to the stage at Schubas on Saturday evening, rocking a short patterned romper with bell sleeves down to her knees and topped off with a huge metal medallion, nobody was paying attention to anything else in the room. And leading a group of men into battle? Burhenn at one point told the crowd, “This song is all about banding together and fixing all the shit that’s out there” before leading her backing men into the politically charged and martial “Generals” from the 2012 album of the same name.
The group mixed it up with new and old hits with “Give it Time” from 2010’s What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood, “All My Heart” from the fantastic new album dropped this year Lovers Know and “Buffalo Flower” and of course the magnificent and thumping “Body of Work” from 2012’s Generals.
Burhenn did some reminiscing about the last time they played in Chicago, at Schubas, and how somebody apparently stole her dress, only to be tackled by her guitarist (classy Chicago.) But overall she gave massive amounts of love to the city and the crowd gave it right back.