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Posted on Sun, Sep 13, 2009 : 10:11 a.m.

Regina Spektor to play the Michigan Theater on Tuesday

By Chrysta Cherrie

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"Anti-folk" disciple-turned-idiosyncratic singer/songwriter Regina Spektor comes to Ann Arbor's Michigan Theater for a concert on Tuesday evening.

Born and raised in Moscow, Spektor got an ear for Western pop music by listening to dubbed cassettes of artists like the Beatles, Moody Blues and Queen acquired by her father through trades with friends. With a music professor mom and photographer/violinist dad, arts were in the air at the Spektor household, and Regina learned to play piano by practicing on her grandfather's Petrof.

In light of the ethnic and political discrimination of the time, the family (including 9-year-old Spektor) left Russia in 1989, ultimately resettling in the Bronx, New York. For the next eight years, Spektor continued her musical studies at the Manhattan School of Music, even practicing on tabletops when a piano was unavailable. As a teen, a visit to the Nesiya Institute in Israel sparked an interest in songwriting, a pursuit she continued while attending Purchase College.

By 2001, Spektor had graduated college and established herself in the downtown New York City anti-folk scene, performing at clubs like the Sidewalk Cafe, Tonic and the Knitting Factory. Her eclectic, intimate approach to storytelling, reminiscent of Cat Power and Nellie McKay, was showcased on her self-released CDs "11:11" (2001) and "Songs" (2002) and generated enough interest to get her signed with Sire Records.

Love Affair - Regina Spektor

Since the release of "Soviet Kitsch" in 2003, Spektor's rise to fame has been more exponential than slow-and-steady. Her songs, influenced by everything from folk to Jewish music to hip-hop, endeared her to influential indie bands like The Strokes and Kings of Leon, landing her opening act slots on their tours. Spektor's music also reached countless listeners without anyone having to leave home, as her songs were featured in commercials for XM Satellite Radio and Microsoft's Zune, plus in such TV programs as "CSI," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Weeds."

Us (Album Version) - Regina Spektor

The 2006 release of "Begin To Hope" and its single, "Fidelity," brought Spektor to the masses like nothing else previously in her career, with its corresponding video getting 200,000 YouTube views in two days. Later that year, the song was voted best of 2006 by listeners of the Sirius Radio "Left Of Center" channel and was the centerpiece of her VH1 "You Oughta Know: Artists On The Rise" featurette.

Apropos to Spektor's popularity on YouTube, she's an artist who's really thrived in the Web 2.0 age, with fans connecting in the social networking community at ReginaSpektor.org; sharing stories, news and concert reviews on the I Heart Regina group on LiveJournal; transcribing music on The Unofficial Regina Songbook; and posting live audio, videos and Spektor covers at the ReSpekt Online fan site. And though Spektor doesn't have an official Twitter account, there's a steady flow of conversation there about her.

Spektor's latest release is "Far," which finds her collaborating with multiple high profile producers (David Kahne, Jeff Lynne, etc.) to create some more polished, higher concept songs than her previous works. But loyal fans needn't worry; as The Onion A.V. Club reports, the album "cements Spektor as an artist comfortable with her own eccentricities, and beguiling in her ability to bring listeners into her strange, tempestuous, and often beautiful world." And with songs that feature Spektor imitating dolphins and robots, tackling subject matter like missing wallets, it's safe to say she hasn't strayed too far.

For a sneak peek of the live experience, peep these photos of Spektor taken in 2009 by various Flickr users:

Chrysta Cherrie is the entertainment producer/copy editor for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at chrystacherrie@annarbor.com or 734-623-2526, and follow her on Twitter @chrystacherrie.

Regina Spektor Who: Singer-songwriter born in Russia, raised in New York. Special guest Little Joy. What: Quirky, original pop. When: Tuesday, September 15 at 7:30 p.m. Where: Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty St. How much: $29.50 ($30 day of show); $45 (Premier seats). Tickets available at Ticketmaster and all Ticketmaster outlets including Macy's and the Michigan Union Ticket Office. To charge by phone, call 800-745-3000. Online ticket bonus: Buy tickets online and get a free download of two songs from her new album plus the video for "Laughing With."

Watch the video for "Laughing With":