Mexicola: The band that opened for Sigur Ros is called Anima, and consists of all women, they also serve as Sigur Ros's string section.
I think I've recounted some of my Chris Whitley stories on here, but if not, here's something that I posted on
MetaFilter when Chris passed away:
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Tears instantly flowed from my eyes when I read this news.
In a world of manufactured music without any sense of soul, Chris Whitley was a true voice of pain, wonder, pleasure, sensuality and beauty. His music will certainly withstand the test of time.
I was a teenager when I first witnessed Chris in Greenwich Village, playing a beat up Dobro on the fringes of Washington Square. He seemed bound to that guitar by the threads of his very being, his fingers flying over the fretboard with an urgency and intensity that I had never seen that close up. I used to trek to the Village with the specific goal of finding Chris on the street, to hear him play and sing, and he was always shy, but seemed happy to see me, someone who appreciated his soul and his awesome talent. Sometimes there were cute girls hanging onto his every word as well, and I'd make small talk with them while watching Chris play. I was much more interested in the music, though some of those gals where hella cute.
Years later, I was living in San Francisco, and my then-wife Hellene and I were in a record store in San Rafel, all of a sudden she exclaimed, "OMG, Chris has an album!". I then found out that Chris Whitley was a shared thread in our lives - one of those cute girls was Hellene, and she was living with him right around the time I'd go and see him play. What a strange coincidence! We went to see Chris play when he toured for "Living with the Law", he greeted us backstage, and the three of us laughed together when we realized the mutual connection. He dedicated a song to Hellene at that show, all the women standing around us looked at her with such jealous eyes, but she didn't care. Chris had made the big time, and we were so thrilled for him.
When "Dirt Floor" was released, I called his manager and explained the friendship, and that I wanted to buy 100 copies of the record to give to all my friends. It's the best music he's ever recorded, the closest thing to his early work, and I only recently gave away the last copy to a close friend.
I could go on and on, but I just wanted to let everyone know that the Universe has a new musician in residence. Hendrix and Chris are probably jamming on "From One Island to Another" at this exact moment, and Link Wray is whispering to Frank Zappa, "who in the hell is this kid? Shit, he plays like an angry angel".
Peace to you, Chris, and condolences to your family and many friends.
dB
