The name of the band listed on The Rockwood Music Hall calendar for
Tuesday night was "Shit Storm."  Unlike almost every other band on that
calendar, it didn't have a link to a website.  OK, it's really a band
who doesn't want its name out there, I thought.  A bit of asking around
and I was told that it's Sasha Dobson, who has a big (that is, paying)
gig next week and can't play under her name this week.  Since I like
the new material Sasha's been playing, I decided to go see her.

I got to The Rockwood early Tuesday night and had 20 minutes to kill. 
I ended up in Sugar, the dinner up the block, eating a Black and White
and watching the people pass by on the sidewalk.  I looked up in time
to see three women with guitar cases strapped to their backs walk by. 
And although I only see their backs, I recognize them.  "It's Sasha,
Catherine and Norah; OK, this is going to be a Puss N Boots show," I
thought.  So I finish my snack and get back to The Rockwood, where the
8 o'clock band is finishing up.

I'm actually able to find a seat at one of The Rockwood's three tables
(the one against the wall).  That seat ends up putting me right in
front of Norah, which means I can finally read the name of the candy
apple red guitar she plays.  In the past, I've been able to see that
it's a Fender and that it's neither a Telecaster nor a Stratocaster. 
This time I'm finally able to read the model, which I now know is a
Mustang.

I've seen Puss N Boots (formerly Dixie Fried and the successor band to
The Sloppy Joannes) before and this show fits right into the band's
usual M.O.: Sasha on amplified acoustic, Norah on lead and Catherine on
bass; the lead vocals are maybe 60% Sasha and 40% Norah, with Catherine
getting one lead as well.  This show is all covers and there are covers
from folks like Wanda Jackson, George Jones, Johnny Cash and Buddy
Holly, as well as funny and self deprecating remarks from Sasha and
Norah and funny and outrageous remarks from Catherine.

But the standout song of the night for me is, as it has been for a
while, the cover of Wilco's Jesus, Etc. with Norah front and center (I
previously posted it here).  It's so good that she should think about
putting it on her next record (which she's now recording).

One hour is what a band gets at The Rockwood and when the hour was up,
the band and much of the audience scattered.  Norah was probably on her
way to The Living Room where members of her now disbanded Handsome Band
were playing.  I needed some sleep so I just went back to Brooklyn.

 –Eliot Wagner