GIRL CRUSH

A BIRD

IN THE HAND

Birdie Busch breezed into New York last night to start her summer tour. The sandy-haired songbird’s voice is sweet and raw–a little bit like Lucinda Williams with a touch of Feist.

Though she’s got strong Philly roots, Birdie’s blue eyes look wistful when she talks about touring. Her band’s not going with her this time, so for the next couple of weeks it”ll just be a girl and her guitar, opening shows for Luka Bloom in L.A., and San Francisco, and then taking a 16-hour train ride to play in Portland before she finishes her west coast run in Seattle.

When Birdie takes the stage, singing stowaway lullabies about benders, tenderness and slow dancing in the kitchen, she sounds as natural as she does on her albums, and looks like she grew up in the spotlight. It’s hard to believe she’s only been playing music for six years, but she says she’s always been a determined person.

“From the get-go, I just decided that this what I was doing,” she said, after a sold-out show at Joe’s Pub. “I just put blinders on. I was kind of delusional, I guess.”

Sometimes flying blind is the best way to go.

–Jenni Avins