Song Spotlight: PEGGY's ALICE (a night at Hotel Ziggy)

If PEGGY (Peggy Owens' mononymous name) needs a backup plan in life, she'll be a most beloved high school English teacher. She sang a series of songs that were inspired by her voracious reading habits ("DEAR READER," "WRITTEN BY A WOMAN," "ALICE," and one may as well toss in "FRANKENSTEIN," which was technically based on the recent movie). But that backup plan for the Berklee College of Music graduate is just imagined on my part, because at the moment she is highlighting her music talents at venues such as Hotel Ziggy (a night presented by WFNM). 

PEGGY at Hotel Ziggy

It was interesting to eavesdrop on her pre-set conversation with the WFNM staff. Time was ticking pass her assumed start time, but then she also was in contact with her friends who told her they couldn't find any parking -- I'm assuming either looking for free or metered parking. Her conversations bounced back and forth with the staff wondering if she should just start her set, but then also mentioning that her friends were on there way. She was assured that she could delay her opening act start time, but from the sounds of things, she wasn't convinced of the sincerity of the offer. Finally she decided that she would go on even though her friends had yet to arrive . . . and that's when her friends showed up so it all worked out perfectly. 

I've already proposed a backup career so I may as well go further with my assumptions about her. I'm going to go with the idea that "PANIC ATTACK" will never again start off her set. She mentioned that she didn't usually play the song first, because of a concern that it would represent a bad omen. She cursed herself, because her keyboardist had technical issues that delayed the start of the set. 

PEGGY at Hotel Ziggy

 Her next song "DEAR READER" emphasized her love of reading as she mentioned that the song is "about you and your favorite book." For her, that is actually books as the song highlights the Wendy-Peter Pan dynamics as well as Mr. Darcy-Elizabeth Bennet relationship. 

The pop-subtle goth singer wore a dress that had unicorns and young maidens enjoying life. She used her arms and hands to give expression to the meaning behind her music. Her just in time friends sat on the Hotel Ziggy couch, giving her their rapt attention. She provided them with another literally song "WRITTEN BY A WOMAN" that is about wishing that men were more like the books written by women (such as Jane Austen). I have to give her a thumbs up for her taste in movies as her song "FRANKENSTIEN" was her most recently written tune of the night that was inspired by the Guillermo del Toro movie that I personally think is the top movie of the Oscar Best Picture nominations. 

PEGGY at Hotel Ziggy

The song spotlight goes to "ALICE." She mentioned that it is her favorite song. "It is about a little thing called maladaptive daydreaming, which is basically a fancy term for using daydreaming as an unhealthy coping mechanism. And I just love using stories like Alice in Wonderland as a metaphor for harder to digest topics." Is that not a book introduction that would be made to high school students?

Wonderland was all a hoax

Made it up so she could cope    

A CAPITALIZED song sung with beat poet conviction. 

PEGGY at Hotel Ziggy

Comment of the set (actually happened after the set): The next performer of the night, Faydean, made the following comment about PEGGY, "Do you have perfect pitch? Your tone is right on the money, which is really hard."

Setlist: PANIC ATTACK, DEAR READER, FRIENDS TO LOVERS, WRITTEN BY A WOMAN, ALICE, Villains Aren't Born (They're Made), FRANKENSTEIN, MESS, BURN THE WITCH.