Mal Blum was chatting with Zoe Boekbinder while scheduling gigs on her way to Minneapolis when Zoe mentioned that Mal should check out Eau Claire on her way through. A little over a year ago Zoe and Dakota Belle joined then-new band Adelyn Rose and packed Infinitea for a magical performance. On March 28, Infinitea will host another great pairing when Mal Blum and Jerrika Mighelle join shake up spring with some quirky emotive folk songs. Mal, 23, is from New York and began making music as a tenderhearted teenager. She has since toured the country supporting Melissa Ferrick in her 2009 and 2010 tours and shared the stage with the likes of Amanda Palmer, Bitch, and Kimya Dawson. Mal’s songs hop from her infatuated relationship with a ukulele to how a move to Baltimore can provoke angsty Harry Potter references. Mal smiles her way through the rough spots of tentative relationships and bounces her knee in lyrics about her travels. Her self-effacing laughter and storytelling between songs reminds me of my early experiences seeing Ellis live before she blew up in the music scene. Speaking of storytelling, Jerrika got a lot of practice on the stage bantering back and forth with her sisters for more than eight years in the popular local group QuinnElizabeth. She has since stepped out to cultivate a solo presence in the music scene, teaching herself guitar and flexing her songwriting muscles. This new direction feels more introspective in comparison and documents her personal and musical growth.

Mal Blum + Jerrika Mighelle • March 28 • Infinitea Teahouse, 112 E Grand Ave., Eau Claire • 6-8pm • suggested $5 donation • all ages • facebook.com/MalBlumMusic