It's Weird Up North: Dorothy Geller, aka Dora Bleu

MONTREAL BASED SINGER-SONGWRITER Dorothy Geller, aka Dora Bleu, has gotten used to odd reactions to her music. Tangentially composed and intensely performed, the D.C. native's sparse strumming and way with words isn't for everyone. But that's no reason to deny her an audience.

On a recent tour through Europe, Geller and her traveling band bumped heads with a cranky Italian club owner. "The owner couldn't deal with us and he stopped our set," Geller says, half-laughing. "It wasn't because we were too loud, but because he thought we were too weird!"

Geller's voice, while noticeably soft, cuts through the air, shockingly in harmony with silence. Those stark contrasts are either fascinating or unsettling. Geller, however, is uninterested in filling in every blank: "Sound is not a commodity."

"Also, for me, so much about using an acoustic guitar is the sustain, which you can't hear if you fill everything up. ... I like to let it breathe a little bit."

On "Clones of Eros," her most recent full-length, Geller weaves a sonic landscape that starts from her breath and builds strength, her guitar augmented by piano, upright bass and electronics.

Prior to her more recent independent pursuits, Geller fronted chamber-pop groups Laconic Chamber and From Quagmire — unsung local bands whose pop sensibilities were infused with orchestral tendencies. Upon uprooting, Geller found inspiration at points north.

"The thing about Montreal," Geller says, is that "everyone thinks they're a star ... but a lot of people believe in what they're doing."

The Canadian metropolis is home to groups like Godspeed You Black Emperor, Shalabi Effect and A Silver Mt. Zion — the city's creme de la freak-rock.

Geller and her coterie of unconventional instrumentalists — guitarist Sam Shalabi, trumpet player Gordon Allen and bassist Alexandre St-Onge — preside over the Velvet Lounge Thursday.

"I used to get uptight about playing in rock clubs, but it's really about ... the engagement with the crowd," Geller says, adding it's likewise about onstage chemistry.

"There are times when you're creating a reality — that's what I play for."

» Velvet Lounge, 915 U St. NW; with Layne Garrett, Janel & Anthony, Hope for Agoldensummer, Thu., 9 p.m., $8; 202 462-3213. (U St.-Cardozo)

Written by Express contributor Johnathan Rickman
Photo courtesy Debbie Wayne