More on the more innovative side of the Detroit rock scene: we caught the debut performance of Marie and Francis last night at Bart's, a cozy breakfast joint/bar, a few blocks from my house in Ferndale Michigan. Marie and Francis is our dear friends Betty Marie Barnes of Saturday Looks Good to Me and Nathaniel F. H. Burgundy of Pas/Cal (with support from Mr. Richard Panic, also of Pas/Cal). Marie and Francis once again proved my long-held theory that natural talent always trumps skill and hard work (not to suggest by any means that the duo do not work their asses off and are not highly skilled musicians,) but you can just smell raw talent, and it stops you dead in your tracks. Betty admitted that this was the first time she had ever played an instrument or one of her own songs in front of an audience, yet the chatty crowd at Bart's fell silent, completely captivated by the beautiful songs that would make the best of songwriters green with envy.

And by the way, DethLab will be playing with Pas/Cal at their Holiday Spectacular next month at the Lager House. Details TBA.