By Laura Cooper
A packed Webster Hall seemed almost welcoming this past Tuesday night. Concertgoers 18 and over presented tickets at the door marked the Hiro Ballroom, but were welcomed at the historic theatre on Third Avenue in New York City.
The venue opened its doors to a mob of concertgoers who all gathered to see the first New York City performance of She & Him, a duo of musician M. Ward and actress Zooey Deschanel.
The concert, which had been postponed from Monday night, was moved to Webster Hall to accommodate ticket holders from Monday and Tuesday night’s shows.
She & Him released their highly anticipated debut Volume One, in March of this year, to rave reviews describing their music as “romantic, summery and warm,” by allmusic.com.
The album showcased a country-folk, pop influenced sound, equally revealing the impact of both individuals.
M. Ward’s musical stature as a country guitar-based musician has garnered him a fan base centered on his several albums, the latest being Post-War. Matt Ward provided the melody for Deschanel’s distinctive gentle voice. He stayed to the left of the stage, glancing down at his set list and the entranced audience, but hardly said anything.
Deschanel’s story is a bit more unusual. She is chiefly an actress who has had roles in movies such as Almost Famous, Real Girls, Bridge to Terabithia, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and most notably in Elf, where she played Will Ferrell’s love interest. In Elf, she received some of her earliest vocal recognition when she sang, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” to a group of New Yorkers, in attempt to raise Christmas spirit.
The two met on the set of Deschanel’s yet-to-be-released movie, The Go-Getter, where M. Ward was doing music for the movie’s soundtrack. Martin Hynes, the film’s director, got them together when he learned Deschanel was a fan of M. Ward’s music, and together they recorded a song for the end credits in 2006 entitled, “When I get to the Border.” “In general, my music career has been a series of happy accidents,” M. Ward told Under the Radar magazine in an interview.
Deschanel, who has had a prior interest in recording, has been making her own demos and writing her own songs before the project was even a prospect. When M. Ward learned of this, he requested the demos and, in the end, they decided to record together.
The result is a highly respected and well-arranged album that showcases Deschanel’s musical range, lyrical talent, and M. Ward’s ever-present signature country guitar style.
Songs such as “Sentimental Heart” have been played by indie music radio stations such as Sirius satellite radio’s “Left of Center.” The song is one of the few sad songs on the album, describing a break-up and the impending feelings of loss and yearning.
“Why do you Let Me Stay Here,” a song that the two recently promoted and played on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, is a more playful, up-tempo song clearly revealing country roots and questions why continuous flirting has led to nothing further.
Though the two shared some intimate glances onstage, Deschanel and Ward are not currently dating. The crowd could easily detect their chemistry and Deschanel’s admiration for Ward was evident. She watched him on the few guitar solos that are present throughout their album.
Deschanel was the reason for the postponement of their Monday night show, as she still had no speaking voice on Tuesday. She held up poster-board signs throughout the night, one saying, “You Guys Look Great!” The crowd responded in an uproar of laughter. Deschanel jumped up and down, grinning, as their first, but definitely not last New York City show came to an end.
