NOW That's What I Call A Fashion Show Soundtrack! at Baja East

ABIR performing at Baja East’s Fall 2015 Show. Photo: @abirxo/Instagram.

I know it’s winter, and it snows in winter, and I should be used to it by now, but as I left my house today, I was grumpier than all the old men combined. As the lights went down at the Baja East show, my first of the day, I spotted a woman standing at a microphone. Next to her, was a guitar player wearing a hoodie. “Live musical accompaniment!!,” I thought. Boy was I in for a surprise as the first notes from Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason,” rung out, The singer, who goes by Abir, had a rich, velvety voice  and it echoed through the studio. Instantly, all my grumpiness was out the window. After a few minutes, they went into 4 Non Blondes’ classic “What’s Up,” and that’s when I knew I was in heaven— the ultimate ’90s jam heaven. The soundtrack made me ready for this fashion journey . The duo went on to play Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know,” Blind Melon’s “No Rain,” and finally ended it with Jewel’s “Who Will Save Your Soul,” all songs I’ve been known to hit at karaoke one time or another. It was hard not to get too caught up in the music and ignore the fashion, which were breezy, luxurious surfer clothes suitable for the current East Coast weather. As the models came down for the final walkthrough, Sheryl Crow’s “Soak Up the Sun,” began blaring through the speakers, sending everyone back to the office, or the next show, in the brightest of moods.