(RED) benefit @ The Hotel Cafe (Hollywood, 3/24/07)
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Artist:Katie Herzig, Priscilla Ahn, Greg Laswell, Alexi Murdoch, Mandy Moore, Cary Brothers
Last night my friend Emily and I saw an amazing night of music at The Hotel Cafe in Hollywood. It was a benefit concert for (RED), the charity Bono helped create to help women and children affected by AIDS in Africa. Slated to perform were Katie Herzig, Priscilla Ahn, Greg Laswell, Mandy Moore and Cary Brothers. Now, I'm just going to get this out of the way right now -- I love Katie Herzig and I am slightly familiar with Cary Brothers, but this concert was all about Mandy for me. I adore her. Moving on.The night started out great as Emily and I weren't even early, but were one of the first people to be allowed in the door and therefore managed to snag a table right in front of the stage. I'm talking three feet from where Mandy was going to be standing, people. Thank you, advanced ticket sales!Katie Herzig was first up and got things started on a great note. She is amazingly talented, with a unique voice and really strong songwriting. She also has a great personality and just flat out knows how to work a crowd give a performance, even when her microphone basically falls over in the middle of the song. My favorite song of hers is "Sweeter Than This," and it was great to hear it live. Here is a pic:
Sorry for the poor quality, but I didn't use a flash because I didn't want to bother the musicians by being an annoying flashing paparazzi every five seconds.Next up after Katie was a guy who just sang two songs, and I didn't catch his name. He reminded me of an early Ray LaMontagne, where the voice is strong but the songwriting still needs some development. He was pretty good, though.Priscilla Ahn followed, and I admit I had never heard of her before last night but now I am a huge fan. Her voice is one of the most pure and beautiful voices I've heard in a long time. She announced last night that she just signed a record deal, and I am excited to hear her first album as soon as it comes out. A (bad) picture:
Greg Laswell took the stage next. He was another artist that I knew nothing about, other than his "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" cover I heard on The Hills a few weeks ago. (Shut it, I love that show.) He was another one that far exceeded any expectations I had, and I went and dowloaded his album Through Toledo on emusic first thing today. Great voice, great songs. Bad picture:
Next up was a very exciting surprise for me: Alexi Murdoch. I'm a huge fan of his and he wasn't listed on the original bill, so I was psyched to say the least. He only performed a few songs because he was feeling ill, but they were awesome. He also took the time to discuss the charity we were there to support and make everyone there (including himself) feel a little more humble and grateful about what we have and take for granted every day. In short, I love him. I am definitely going to try to make it to one of his solo shows soon. A (not so terrible) picture:
Finally, it was time for the main attraction, at least for me: Mandy Moore. My affection for bubblegum pop music is well known amongst my friends, and she was no different. I've liked her ever since her innocent "Candy" days, but only started to truly love her once she became an actress. Seriously, I've seen A Walk to Remember like 30 times. I own it. I know, I know, it isn't a great movie but she is so likeable and charismatic in it, and I just can't get enough. Also, she sings some really cheesy pop ballads that I just can't get enough of, so much so that I own the soundtrack as well. Heh. Confession time over, moving on.I know that she's been trying to do her own type of music and break away from the bubblegum thing for a long time, and this show was sort of her "coming out" in Los Angeles with her new material. Well, folks, she didn't disappoint. Her new songs, written with people like The Weepies and Lori McKenna, have a decidedly adult and singer/songwriter pop feel that is far, far away from her days of singing about "loving you like candy." Her voice is surprisingly strong, so strong that a few times during the show I just sat back and couldn't believe what an accomplished singer she actually is. Her old material definitely didn't give her the room to stretch as a singer, and she is obviously loving this freedom. She was downright fantastic, although I am probably biased because I am such a fan. Her band was also totally top-notch. Great musicians. I liked all of her songs but the closer, "Gardenia," was my absoute favorite. Passionate, powerful, simple and beautiful. Her new album comes out June 19, and I will be there on the first day buying my copy, that's for sure. Pictures (this time not so bad because I decided to use a flash since EVERYONE was doing it):
Last but certainly not least was Cary Brothers. He is probably best known for his song on the Garden State soundtrack, "Blue Eyes." I hadn't heard much of his other music but I really enjoyed his set. It was a lot more rock-driven than I expected, and it was a great way to close the night. His album is coming out at the end of May, and it is another I will be picking up right away. One final picture:
All in all, it was a great night of music that helped a great cause. They announced that because of the benefit ten children in Africa will get HIV treatment medications for one year, which is great. Every little bit helps, and if we can hear some great music in the process, even better.
Sorry for the poor quality, but I didn't use a flash because I didn't want to bother the musicians by being an annoying flashing paparazzi every five seconds.Next up after Katie was a guy who just sang two songs, and I didn't catch his name. He reminded me of an early Ray LaMontagne, where the voice is strong but the songwriting still needs some development. He was pretty good, though.Priscilla Ahn followed, and I admit I had never heard of her before last night but now I am a huge fan. Her voice is one of the most pure and beautiful voices I've heard in a long time. She announced last night that she just signed a record deal, and I am excited to hear her first album as soon as it comes out. A (bad) picture:Greg Laswell took the stage next. He was another artist that I knew nothing about, other than his "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" cover I heard on The Hills a few weeks ago. (Shut it, I love that show.) He was another one that far exceeded any expectations I had, and I went and dowloaded his album Through Toledo on emusic first thing today. Great voice, great songs. Bad picture:Next up was a very exciting surprise for me: Alexi Murdoch. I'm a huge fan of his and he wasn't listed on the original bill, so I was psyched to say the least. He only performed a few songs because he was feeling ill, but they were awesome. He also took the time to discuss the charity we were there to support and make everyone there (including himself) feel a little more humble and grateful about what we have and take for granted every day. In short, I love him. I am definitely going to try to make it to one of his solo shows soon. A (not so terrible) picture:Finally, it was time for the main attraction, at least for me: Mandy Moore. My affection for bubblegum pop music is well known amongst my friends, and she was no different. I've liked her ever since her innocent "Candy" days, but only started to truly love her once she became an actress. Seriously, I've seen A Walk to Remember like 30 times. I own it. I know, I know, it isn't a great movie but she is so likeable and charismatic in it, and I just can't get enough. Also, she sings some really cheesy pop ballads that I just can't get enough of, so much so that I own the soundtrack as well. Heh. Confession time over, moving on.I know that she's been trying to do her own type of music and break away from the bubblegum thing for a long time, and this show was sort of her "coming out" in Los Angeles with her new material. Well, folks, she didn't disappoint. Her new songs, written with people like The Weepies and Lori McKenna, have a decidedly adult and singer/songwriter pop feel that is far, far away from her days of singing about "loving you like candy." Her voice is surprisingly strong, so strong that a few times during the show I just sat back and couldn't believe what an accomplished singer she actually is. Her old material definitely didn't give her the room to stretch as a singer, and she is obviously loving this freedom. She was downright fantastic, although I am probably biased because I am such a fan. Her band was also totally top-notch. Great musicians. I liked all of her songs but the closer, "Gardenia," was my absoute favorite. Passionate, powerful, simple and beautiful. Her new album comes out June 19, and I will be there on the first day buying my copy, that's for sure. Pictures (this time not so bad because I decided to use a flash since EVERYONE was doing it):Last but certainly not least was Cary Brothers. He is probably best known for his song on the Garden State soundtrack, "Blue Eyes." I hadn't heard much of his other music but I really enjoyed his set. It was a lot more rock-driven than I expected, and it was a great way to close the night. His album is coming out at the end of May, and it is another I will be picking up right away. One final picture:All in all, it was a great night of music that helped a great cause. They announced that because of the benefit ten children in Africa will get HIV treatment medications for one year, which is great. Every little bit helps, and if we can hear some great music in the process, even better.
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