Jesca Hoop 4/16/09 - The Hotel Cafe, Hollywood, CA.

The third in series of four "farewell" April residency shows at The Hotel Cafe. Line-up was the same as the one on April 1st, except for the addition of Joe Karnes on bass, which added an extra layer to the proceedings. Setlist wasn't much different than from the previous shows, with the exception of one new song that I didn't recognize that Ms. Hoop played solo. Plus, we did find out the title of one of the newer songs, "Four Dreams."

As of this writing, the final show is this Wednesday, and promises to be quite a big one. It has been promised that there will be a stage full of accompanying players (including Amanda Barrett and Abby DeWald of The Ditty Bops)and a longer set time of 90 minutes (her shows usually don't run as long) Should be a good one.

As always, you can find more Jesca Hoop shows here.

To download, right-click and save-as:

1.)Whispering Light FLAC MP3
2.)My Boo FLAC MP3
3.)Intelligentactile 101 FLAC MP3
4.)Four Dreams FLAC MP3
5.)Money FLAC MP3
6.)Seed Of Wonder FLAC MP3
7.)Murder Of Birds FLAC MP3
8.)New Song FLAC MP3
9.)New Song FLAC MP3
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Avi Buffalo 3/29/09 - University of Southern California (KSCR Music Fest), Los Angeles, CA.

Admittedly, I didn't really know that much about Avi Buffalo before I saw them at this mini-music festival recently. The name was familiar, and I remembered reading someplace and being surprised to hear that all/most (?) of the band is still in high school (bet that makes for some interesting conflicts playing at most of 21+ clubs in town, heh)

Oddly enough, I first heard one of Avi Buffalo's songs as a cover, when The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra performed "Where's Your Dirty Mind?" as a part of Radio Free Silverlake's "Undercovered" night (which, of course, can be found here)It was interesting to find out that this song was one of Avi Buffalo's, and I made a mental note to try and catch one of their shows one day.

Coincidentally, KSCR Fest happened to fall on the same day I was supposed to record another show (which fell through) I must confess that I felt a bit odd walking on the campus of USC, coming from a Bruin family (the rivalry remains strong) It was a nice little event though, and the Founder's Park was a great setting (if they have more shows there I may consider going back.

This performance is just a very short but sweet acoustic one (just Avi and Rebecca) that showcases some of their material. Sound levels are somewhat extreme though - that's just the way the show unfolded.

1.)Summer Cum MP3
2.)Where's Your Dirty Mind? MP3
3.)Jessica MP3
4.)Coaxed MP3
5.)Remember Last Time MP3
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FLAC (loseless) files available upon request (by e-mail)

Jesca Hoop 4/09/09 - The Hotel Cafe, Hollywood, CA.

(Photos by Eric Meacham)

The second of four "farewell" April residency shows at The Hotel Cafe. As previously noted, Jesca Hoop is performing these shows as sort of a "goodbye" to Los Angeles before she moves to Manchester, England; and as a retrospective of her career of sorts.

The latter was well in evidence this night; as well as having Blake Mills accompany on guitar, Sasha Smith played piano on a couple of songs as well. I remember him playing shows with her a lot back in 2006/2007 (and part of 2005 as well), so it was a bit of a trip down memory lane so to speak.

The setlist was a bit of a varied one - some old, some new, and some newer. The aforementioned songs with Sasha Smith ("City Bird" and "Song For Ember") were a couple of never-released older tunes; the latter giving a nod to Jesca's ties to the city of Los Angeles. "Whispering Light" and "Murder Of Birds" are of a newer era, and according to Jesca may be on a future album. Oddly enough, only one song from Kismet was played ("Love and Love Again").

However, it's the more recent material that I found somewhat surprising. These songs (currently not sure of titles) almost suggest that Ms. Hoop may be heading for an "alternative rock" sort of sound - especially with "For/Four Dreams" (need to confirm title), which starts with "Come and bring your stereo". While these songs were played acoustically, you could definitely hear the rock edge peaking out.

As of press time, there is only one show left before she leaves the U.S., so if you're reading this - go.

As always, more Jesca Hoop shows can be found here.

To download, right click and save as.

1.)Whispering Light FLAC MP3
2.)My Boo FLAC MP3
3.)Murder Of Birds FLAC MP3
4.)Four Dreams FLAC MP3
5.)Song For Ember FLAC MP3
6.)City Bird FLAC MP3
7.)"New Song" FLAC MP3
8.)"New Song" FLAC MP3
9.)Love and Love Again FLAC MP3
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Jesca Hoop 4/01/09 - The Hotel Cafe, Hollywood, CA.

(Photo by Jeff Koga)

I was first introduced to (and basically first heard of) Jesca Hoop in early 2005, when The Ditty Bops opened for her at the now-shuttered Tangier's Restaurant. (which can be found here) I found it to be a good show, but I will admit it took me awhile to really "warm up" to her music (even though I continued to attend some of her shows)

I had not seen/recorded Jesca since July 2007 (when she opened for The Ditty Bops at The Fonda) Well, that's not technically true - I tried to see and record her at the Earth Day Festival in Topanga Canyon last year, but experienced battery failure. Anyway, when I heard Jesca was moving to Manchester, and that her four April residency shows at The Hotel Cafe may be her last in the U.S. for awhile, I knew I had to go.

For this show, Jesca was accompanied by Blake Mills on guitar (I know he's been performing with her for awhile, but this my first time seeing him with her) and Nicole Eva Emery on back-up vocals (also has been performing with her for some time, but again, I hadn't seen her with Jesca) I've seen Ms. Hoop in a variety of incarnations, from solo to full band to with just Sasha Smith on piano to with just The Ditty Bops on back-up vocals, and I've never been able to pick a favorite - they're all good in their own way.

This nights set focused a lot of Jesca's 2007 full-length debut album Kismet, with a couple of a newer songs "Murder Of Birds" and "My Boo," along with older, yet-unreleased "Whispering Light" For this entire residency, Ms. Hoop has promised to try to showcase "five years worth of material/performing in Los Angeles," so it will be interesting to see (as of press time) what the remaining shows bring.

For more Jesca Hoop live recordings, go here

To download, right-click and save-as.

1.)Murder Of Birds FLAC MP3
2.)My Boo FLAC MP3
3.)Intelligentactile 101 FLAC MP3
4.)Dreams In The Hollow FLAC MP3
5.)Summertime FLAC MP3
6.)Money FLAC MP3
7.)Enemy FLAC MP3
8.)Whispering Light FLAC MP3
9.)Seed Of Wonder FLAC MP3
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Earlimart 10/04/08 - 10th Annual Eagle Rock Music Festival - Emerging Stage, Los Angeles, CA.

(Photos by Deedee DeGelia)

Earlimart is a long-established band in Los Angeles, and when I heard they were part of the already-stellar line-up of the 10th Annual Eagle Rock Music Festival (an amazing free music and community festival held every year during the beginning of October on Colorado Blvd. in the Eagle Rock neighborhood), I was definitely intrigued. I didn't really know much about them, but having heard many good things, I was curious to see them perform, and certainly a free show seemed like the best time to do so.

Their set was short, but a good, culling songs mostly from their latest 2008 release Hymm and Her. It was raining a little bit that night and while they were playing, plus they were cut for time due to the stage schedule running over and equipment. Overall, it was a nice little show, and a good introduction to the band for those unfamiliar with them.

Interestingly enough, when I first torrented this show, a commenter remarked wondering why after being "on the scene" for ten years, why were they playing on the "Emerging Stage." Well, good question - I don't know either. Any theories? Odd placement perhaps?

Earlimart was recently approved for uploads on the Live Music Archive, and (at this time) a couple more live recordings of them can be found here.

(to download, right click and save)

1.) Intro FLAC MP3
2.) God Loves You The Best FLAC MP3
3.) Song For FLAC MP3
4.) Face Down In The Right Town FLAC MP3
5.) The Hidden Track FLAC MP3
6.) For The Birds FLAC MP3
7.) Cigarettes and Kerosene FLAC MP3
8.) Outro FLAC MP3

Quarterly Roundup - January - March 2009

A new feature I'm implementing - a list of all of the blog posts from a three month period in one place, in case people missed them the first time around.

January 2009:

The Rosebuds 6/16/07 - Spaceland, Los Angeles, CA.
Autolux 1/17/09 - The Music Box @ The Fonda, Hollywood, CA.
The Happy Hollows 11/06/08 - The Echo, Los Angeles, CA.
The Raveonettes 1/24/09 - The Music Box @ The Fonda, Hollywood, CA.
Let's Go Sailing 3/02/08 - The Hotel Cafe, Hollywood, CA.

February 2009:

Concrete Frequency: Songs Of The City (Various Artists) 1/08/08 - Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, CA.
Bedroom Walls 4/26/06 - Tangier, Los Angeles, CA.
Bedroom Walls 11/06/06 - Spaceland, Los Angeles, CA.
Bedroom Walls 8/04/07 - Spaceland, Los Angeles, CA.
Marvelous Toy, The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra (w/Angela Correa), Radars To The Sky, Death To Anders ("Undercovered") 2/15/09 - All-Star Lanes, Los Angeles, CA.
The Raveonettes 6/10/07 - Little Radio Warehouse ("Summercamp"), Los Angeles, CA.

March 2009:

The Oohlas 3/30/07 - The Hotel Cafe, Hollywood, CA.
The Monolators 3/06/09 - Where Gallery, Los Angeles, CA.
Artichoke Heart Souffle 3/07/09 - Synchronicity, Los Angeles, CA.
The Movies 3/20/09 - Where Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. (second-to-last show ever!)
Ema and the Ghosts 3/20/09 - Where Gallery, Los Angeles, CA.

Sara Bareilles 5/19/06 - The Hotel Cafe, Hollywood, CA.

Another one from the archives.

I first heard of Sara Bareilles sometime in 2005, probably in association with the Hotel Cafe circuit. I didn't really know much about her at first - just that she was pretty popular within Los Angeles and especially with the UCLA crowd, and was about to/or in the midst of recording her first major label album. I didn't get to officially see her live until December 2005, during a very brief set at one of the Hotel Cafe's annual Christmas shows for charity. Saw her a few more times in 2006 and picked up her independently-released Careful Confessions. I did pick up the major-label release Little Voice in 2007, and have been sort of following her career, but haven't seen her live since '06.

The reason I'm posting this show (the three others were torrented awhile ago, maybe I'll put them up here eventually) is because of the track "Can't Change My Heart." At the time the show was recorded, I couldn't figure out what the song was called, and after I started releasing these shows, I pulled it out again to see if more information about it was released. After posting it on the Sara Bareilles message board, and after no else recognizing it, it was given the title "Can't Change My Heart" (don't know at the present time if it will turn up on a future album or elsewhere in some form)

Other notables include solo versions of "Undertow," "Love Song" and "Gravity," - plus Sara and Javier Dunn-only cover of Joni Mitchell's "A Case Of You."

Anyway, this recording came out okay - crowd was very chatty and boisterous (this was the begginning of what is mostly now the norm at the Hotel Cafe), and despite "running openly" this could have come out better. Still listenable though and a worthwhile download though.

1.) "Intro" FLAC MP3
2.) Undertow FLAC MP3
3.) Love Song FLAC MP3
4.) Love On The Rocks FLAC MP3
5.) Fairytale FLAC MP3
6.) Can't Change My Heart (tentative title) FLAC MP3
7.) Little Voice FLAC MP3
8.) A Case Of You (Joni Mitchell cover) FLAC MP3
9.) Many The Miles FLAC MP3
10.) Gravity FLAC MP3
11.) Vegas FLAC MP3
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