Janel Leppin is DC’s preeminent experimental cellist. That might sound rather niche, but I’ve seen Janel, frequently paired with husband/guitarist Anthony Pirog, perform with a wide variety of musicians. This past weekend Janel & Anthony took time out from the Sonic Circuits festival, a natural home for their often challenging music, to play a couple of John Lennon songs for an audience of baby boomers at a tribute show at the Hamilton.
Leppin started her own record label, Wedderburn Records, earlier this year to put out two long-simmering releases, an album recorded in 2012 under the moniker Mellow Diamond and an EP called Songs for Voice and Mellotron, recorded in 2015 when Leppin had injured her elbow, leaving her unable to play the cello. NYC filmmaker Mónica Savirón created this video for the subtle romantic ballad “Wedding Song” using discontinued Eastman Plus-X Negative 16mm film, hand processed with coffee and beer instead of chemical developers. The lyrics suggest a wonderful life ahead while the video presents powerfully wistful nostalgia. Bravo.
Hometown Sounds 