Some may remember Rowena as singer/guitarist for excellent local indie band Stacy Says.  Rowena’s band is larger now, with two additional guitarists allowing her to play keyboards or even pick up the mic and roam the stage, as she did for an excellent cover of No Doubt’s Don’t Speak that I prefer to the original.

Rowena’s set covered much stylistic ground, and her nimble band handled faster and more upbeat punkish songs as well the slower more emotive material.  She opened with a lively number that had the crowd moving from the introduction.  A couple of solo piano numbers in the middle of the set slowed things down before finishing the full band part with Scared of the Dark, another fiery song with a great melody that should be the next single.  Rowena concluded the set with a couple of acoustic songs accompanied by Luigi Donnarumma (Cat Lucky) on vocals and guitar.  Like a latter-day Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, their voices blended in sweet harmonies that carried the show to it’s conclusion.

The highlight of the afternoon was her stunning first single, Your Mother’s Clothes.  The song chronicles the end of a relationship with disarming honesty.  Her emotive voice gives additional weight to words that cut right to the bone.  It was one of the best songs released last year and a strong indication that Rowena has a very bright future in the indie rock world.