Concert Review: Alice Boman Shows Restlessness Is Religion At Murmrr

Everytime I go to Murmrr Theatre, I feel my inner Catholic schoolgirl is released. There I am surrounded by ornate, building garnishments and posted, church schedules to remind of the many times my family sent me off to get “Jesus”. Thus, as Alice Boman sang her sweet songs of restlessness I had epiphany; restlessness breeds religion.

Now, I am not trying to start controversy nor am I diminishing the power of faith. Yet, as Boman’s songs sang questions like, “Where are you? and “Where do dreams begin?”, I kept on thinking of the many times these questions were veiled by prayers. Our intentions and motivations are different, but we all say the same chants out of fears and a growing impatience with life. Thus, Boman’s voice sounded like the little angel in our mind recalling all our anxieties in hopes that acknowledgement is the first step to healing.

It is a beautiful moment when a physical space heightens a mindful one. Boman’s voice feels as airy and piercing as a gleeful whistle. Yet, she sings to that inner child that is wounded by adult relationships, dreams, and failures can feel. I am convinced that like, J.M. Barrie said, a child loses their innocence the first time they hear no, but that does not mean you lose your inner child. In this sense, tracks such as, “Dreams” and “End of Time”, felt like “grown-up lullabies”; meant not give a fabled happy ending as much as a fair nod to your depression. How she manages to be delicate in both her arrangements and her literal composure, despite singing songs from pain, matched well with the holy ground she sang upon.

Many of us go to church for the same reason we turn on music; we need someone or something to calm us down and help feel better or, at least, wait to do so. Alice Boman did that at Mumrr Theatre, but her music does all the time. She is the one you see and hear when you feel unseen and unheard. For More Information On Alice Boman Click Here.