I was at The Troubadour on Saturday, April 23, 2016 for a concert including three bands: We the Folk, T Sisters, and Dustbowl Revival. The first two bands were new to me. We the Folk formed at the UCLA campus and has been playing some of the small popular venues in L.A. for the past couple of years. Fronted by David Villafaña on vocals and guitar, the band on Saturday was comprised of five additional musicians playing fiddle, accordion, bass, drum kit, and percussion. The T Sisters is comprised of three harmonizing sisters — Erika, Chloe, and Rachel Tietjen — with
Category: Concert Journal
Just Don’t Break Up the Connection
Thursdays, April 21, 2016, Largo at the Coronet hosted a show titled “Sweethearts,” featuring musicians Susanna Hoffs, Jon Brion, Greg Leisz, Paul Bryan, Chris Bruce, Abe Rounds, and Sara Watkins. With all of these talented musicians on the bill it seemed to be the making of an excellent concert. Then, that afternoon news broke of the death of music legend Prince. The Bangles had famously recorded a song written by Prince, “Manic Monday.” How would the news affect this concert and the song choices, if at all? Well, as much as Jon Brion and Greg Leisz tried to blast the
I Could Sail Away to the Songs That Play
One of my friends won tickets for Elvis Costello‘s concert on Sunday, April 3, 2016 at the Theatre at Ace Hotel and I got to be her plus one. Early in the week I had been checking to see if there were tickets to either of his shows that weekend, but they were sold out. So this was an unexpected, but exciting opportunity to see a music legend. I have to admit to being only a casual fan of Elvis Costello, having liked most things I’ve heard from him, but never getting around to purchasing an album. Actually, I was
We Got Nothing But Night
When David Garza announced on the afternoon of Saturday, April 2, 2016, that he was planning a set with some guests in The Little Room at Largo at the Coronet that night, I made my plans to attend, though none of my friends could make the last minute show. It was a small, but appreciative audience that night. I love the intimacy of this room, where sitting in the front you can feel the vibrations created by the instruments flowing right off the stage. I apologize in advance for the lack of thorough information on this show. I probably should
Ain’t Too Many Folks Can Play Too Many Notes
I was so lucky to see mandolin player extraordinaire Chris Thile in concert at my favorite venue, Largo at the Coronet, on Sunday, March 27, 2016. I am not going to go into lengthy details about Chris other than to mention I have seen him play a few times before with Nickel Creek, with the Punch Brothers, and as a soloist. Would I be talking him up too much if I said his gifts on the mandolin are unparalleled? How do you warm up an audience for one of the foremost music geniuses of our time? Apparently, with feats of