A Small Slice of Life, and Perhaps Pie

In "Veselka," Greta Gertler puts her service-industry experience to good use. courtesy of Greta Gertler hide caption

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courtesy of Greta Gertler

Greta Gertler was making her living as a waitress when she met her band, The Extroverts. Her experience in the service industry might explain the food-inspired Edible Restaurant, brought to delicious fruition in "Veselka."

The Extroverts' off-kilter cabaret sound, with its strangely comfortable tuba, complements the intimate nature of the songwriting — a series of personal confessionals, from the mundane to the odd. "Veselka" offers a small slice of life, and perhaps pie: "I used to go there on my own a lot / or with my close girlfriends / Over coffee and pierogi / our hearts began to mend."

The repeated refrain, "It's so good to have you back," welcomes listeners into this neighborhood haunt, actually located in New York City's East Village — a place where the false-eyelash-wearing waitress "who looks like my mother" helps her customers carve out a place in the city. But the plate glass can't keep the world at bay forever, and a quiet siren blends into the music as the song ends, fading away into the sounds of clinking cutlery.

Listen to yesterday's 'Song of the Day.'