 Sarah Barthel of Phantogram They came, they saw, they kicked ass. Phantogram (Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter) performed to a sell-out crowd at the Music Box in Hollywood, CA last night.
Reptar was the opening act and in between sets, there were a few lulls in the music which built up the anticipation. With each lull, the crowd anxiously watched for the curtain to rise until they finally made their way onstage. Sarah was dressed in all black, sporting black leather pants, a black leather jacket, and a black tank top. As she moved to the music, her face was often hidden behind her trademark bob cut, which only added to her mysterious allure. The duo was joined on stage by only a drummer, which only added to the show’s greatness. Sometimes, a live show just isn’t the same without a drummer.
They played all their hits from Eyelid Movies (which is basically every song – the album is that good) as well as new music from their recently released EP, Nightlife. I meant to get a pic of the set list, but these two are so hip, they don’t even bother with the usual list taped to the floor. Monitors on the sides of the stage displayed each song as it was performed.
Aside from a shout out to Justin Timberlake just in case he was in attendance (the band put him on the guest list), their wasn’t much onstage banter. Not that it really mattered though…everyone came for the music, not for storytelling. They played one encore before the all ages crowd left with their hearts and ears satisfied.
Phantogram continues their tour in Phoenix, AZ as they make their way east before the final stop in Vermont. Visit their facebook page for up to date info.
Meiko, a Hotel Cafe regular, made another appearance Tuesday night to a house packed with fans, friends, and family members. Typical of a Meiko performance, the night was filled with many anecdotes in between songs which always makes for a fun night.
The former Hotel Cafe waitress touched on subjects as varied as misunderstood friendship, cursing on stage, and unacceptable fatherly terms of affection. A highlight was when she informed the crowd of tipping etiquette ($1 a drink / 15-20%, people!) and performed a song inspired by a confrontation she had with a poor tipper, aptly named “Ya Gotta F**kin Tip.”
Keep up to date with Meiko’s latest tour dates at http://www.facebook.com/meikomusic.
Upcoming shows:
July 14 – Ventura, CA | Zoey’s Cafe
July 16 – Snoqualmie, WA | Snoqualmie Casino
July 17 – Seattle, WA | Chop Suey
July 18 – Portland, OR | Doug Fir Lounge
July 21 – Thousand Oaks, CA | Open Borders
July 27 – Hermosa Beach, CA | Saint Rocke
 July 6th, 2011 |  : anya marina |  : Concert Photos |  : 
Anya Marina stopped by Hotel Cafe last night to play some music from her newest release Spirit School.
Anya will be playing a few more shows in Southern California…be sure to visit anyamarina.com for the latest tour info.
July 7 – San Diego, CA | Casbah
July 9 – San Jose, CA | The Blank Club
July 10 – San Francisco, CA | Cafe Du Nord
Obi Best played an intimate set at Hotel Cafe in Hollywood, CA last night. Frontwoman Alex Lilly was joined onstage by usual band members Wendy Wang and Bram Inscore. Missing was keyboardist Aaron Arntz and drummer Barbara Gruska, but in their place were several guest musicians. Seeing a saxophone player and a flutist on stage isn’t typical of an Obi Best show, but it gave the night a classy, unplugged vibe.
Alex spent most of the night at the piano while Bram played upright bass and Wendy sang backup vocals. The set included favorites such as “Swedish Boy,” “Tropical Fish,” and the extremely catchy “It’s Because of People Like You.”
Obi Best’s second album, a four song EP titled Sentimental Education, will be released later this year and includes the songs “Tropical Fish,” “Knock On Any Door,” “To Have Class” and “Man Without A Yes.” It can currently be purchased after their shows. Visit www.obibest.com to hear the EP in its entirety.
More photos follow…
Continue reading Obi Best @ Hotel Cafe (03/09/2011)
Anna Nalick played in front of a packed house last night as part of her residency at Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles, CA.
Though it’s been a while since her last official release, she’s been keeping busy by writing new music. She’s currently working on an album with producer Nathan Chapman (who has also produced Taylor Swift) that’s set to be released this year.
Throughout the night she played several new songs such as “Words”, “The Lullaby Singer” and “Break Me Open.”
In between songs, she read some excerpts from her journal and chatted up the crowd, keeping them engaged throughout the entire night. Halfway into her set, she sat at piano for a few songs and admitted she was still getting used to using the pedals while playing. Knowing her pianist was just off stage, she jokingly admitted feeling a little pressured.
Closing the show with her breakout hit, “Breathe (2 AM)”, Anna proved throughout the night that she’s a singer/songwriter who still has a bright future ahead of her.
Anna Nalick’s residency at Hotel Cafe ends in two weeks, with her final show on Wednesday, March 2nd.
More photos from the show follow..
Continue reading Anna Nalick @ Hotel Cafe (02/23/2011)
Battling illness, Esthero played an abbreviated set at last night’s 2 Year Creepshow Anniversary held at Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles, CA.
Sitting in a chair in the center of the stage, she kicked things off singing an a capella version of “Superheroes” and then graciously made her way off stage before the host of the show stopped her.
Despite not wanting to sing too much for fear her vocals would be off, the crowd persuaded her to come back on stage for one more song. She sang a flawless version of “Gone” backed by Ely Rise on piano.
More photos from the show follow.
Continue reading Esthero @ Hotel Cafe (02/19/2011)
 Tina Dico made her return to Los Angeles Wednesday night, playing at the historic Troubadour. Although most fans have grown accustomed to Tina performing accompanied only by Helgi Jonsson, this time around she was also backed by a drummer and bass player – the first time she’s played in Los Angeles with a full band.
The hour and a half set included new songs from her new double album, Welcome Back Colour, as well as old favorites such as “Stains”, “Sacre Coeur” (the trombone arrangement takes an already great song to another level), “Count to Ten” and “Home,” her phenomenal collaboration with Zero 7.
Tina Dico finishes the North American leg of her tour tonight in San Diego, CA and will be touring Europe for the rest of February through March. Visit http://tinadico.com/tour for a complete list of tour dates.
Welcome Back Colour, is currently in stores. It’s a collection of 13 new acoustic recordings of old favorites as well as five new songs.
More photos follow…
Continue reading Tina Dico @ Troubadour (02-09-2011)
Sleigh Bells played their first Los Angeles headlining show last night to a sold out crowd at the El Rey Theatre. The concert had everything those familiar with the group would expect – screaming, dowsing fans with water and stage diving – all courtesy of lead singer Alexis Krauss.
Things kicked off with the curtains opening to reveal a stage that had nothing but two microphones and a 2×4 stack of amplifiers lit up by red lights. Guitarist Derek Miller walked on stage moments later and had the crowd’s full attention with the first guitar riff.
The duo kept the energy and volume control at 11 for the entire night, running through their catalog of songs without much chit chat in between. Only momentarily did they take a break from the frenetic pace with the mellowed out “Rill Rill”.
With only one album worth of material, the set was only 30 minutes and left fans wanting more, screaming for an encore that was not to happen. Nonetheless, the crowd got what they came for – loud guitars, booming beats and piercing vocals.
Sleigh Bells continues their headlining tour with stops in Salt Lake City, Denver and Minneapolis in the coming days.
More photos from the show follow…
Continue reading Sleigh Bells @ El Rey Theatre (10/20/2010)
Last night, the Bird and the Bee performed in front of a capacity crowd at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. Not only was it a rare opportunity to see the band perform songs from the upcoming release, Interpreting the Masters Volume 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates, but it would also be the last Bird and the Bee show for a while, due to lead singer Inara George‘s pregnancy.
From the moment Inara walked on stage, it was obvious that pregnancy didn’t hinder her sense of style, as she was dressed in a fashionable, form-fitting dress. Overwhelmed by the turnout, Inara thanked everyone in attendance, as it marked only their second sold out show in Los Angeles. In a fitting tribute, the show was dedicated to T-Bone Wolk, longtime bass player, collaborator and friend of Hall & Oates who passed away earlier in the week. Continue reading The Bird and the Bee @ El Rey Theatre (03/05/2010)
Here are a few shots of Anya Marina, who opened up for Emiliana Torrini at the El Rey Theatre on August 19th. I’ve been playing her single “Move You” for a while, so it was a nice surprise to find out she was the opening act. Anya will be playing a couple of more Southern California shows (Hotel Cafe on August 26th and Street Scene 2009 on August 28th) before hitting the road in September. Visit http://www.myspace.com/anyamarina for tour dates. Read on to see more photos. Continue reading Anya Marina @ El Rey Theatre (06/19/2009)
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