'Cat' croons at Pontiac's Mill St. Entry tonight

By Gabe Fajuri

Daily Arts Editor

Enigmatic. That's probably the best way to describe Cat Power.

As if the band's name wasn't intriguing enough, the woman behind the metaphoric lyrics and droopy ballads is even more of a cuiosity.

A band of one (ala Trent Reznor, some might say), Chan Marshall performs and records under the name Cat Power, and tonight, will be appearing in Pontiac at the all too often under-used Mill Street Entry venue in the basement of Clutch Cargo's.

Marshall, who's first name is pronounced 'Shaun,' is far from the typical singer-songwriter.

Signed to indie giant Matador Records, Cat Power debuted under its banner in 1996 with the acclaimed release "What Would the Community Think?" Cat Power's subsequent record, 1998's "Moon Pix," recorded with the rythym section of the Dirty Three over the course of two weeks in Australia, catapulted Marshall into pseudo indie-folk rock stardom.

The eleven songs on that release seemed both relevant and unbelievably emotinally at the same time, a semi-sedated look inside the soul of a fascinating, if hard to understand woman.

Since the release of "Moon Pix," (much of which was written to ward off the voices in her head) Marshall has made a lot of noise with lovers of a certain "softer" sound that she's become known for. Tagged by critics for her heart-twisting melodies and lyrics, Marshall released the follow-up to "Moon Pix," entitled "The Covers Record" a few weeks ago.

The name of the record is the perfect clue as to its subject matter, and consequently, Cat Power's live performances on this tour. "The show will be all of the new record and about six or seven others," Marshall said in a recent interview with The Michigan Daily.

"The Covers Record" is an eclectic mix of music selected by Marshall from the repertoires of eleven other artists, some famous and others not so. The songs, all given a unique, toned-down Cat Power treatement, range from well known Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan numbers to small time artists like Nina Simone and Smog.

Marshall didn't really have a formula when it came to selecting tracks for inclusion on the album. "All the well known stuff like 'Satisfaction' are ones that I've known for years," Marshall said. Tonight's set may also include several covers that didn't make it on the album. "Expect to hear songs from Fleetwood Mac, John Lee Hooker and 'Werewolf,' a Michael Hurley song," Marshall said.

And though nearly the entire record will be played tonight, none of the songs will sound anything like what those familiar with the original versions of the material might expect. There's no drumset to back Marshall when she plays The Rolling Stones standard "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," not to mention the fact that there won't be another musician on stage with her. As a matter of fact, on this tour, there's only one person Marshall is bringing along for the ride - her boyfriend. The two will be crisscrossing the country for the next few months.

Marshall's sets on this tour generally last over an hour and will be played either on acoustic guitar or piano, Marshall's first instrument - her father was a professional piano player.

Cat Power's live shows haven't always been noted for being the greatest, most entertaning show in town. Rumors have been circulating for the past couple of years that after a particularly harrowing experience in New York, Marshall sang much of the set with her back to the crowd and seriously considered ending her musical career immediately thereafter.

Thankfully, she chose not to.

For those unfamiliar with Cat Power and still interested in attending tonight's show, tickets are still available. It'll also help attendees (fans or not) "If they have low expectations. It'll be a better show for them," Marshall said.

Whatever the case, playing in a setting where she'll be stripped down to bare musical bones, Chan Marshall will have every opportunity to make sense of the enigmatic entity that is Cat Power.