Holly Conlan / Hotel Cafe / Hollywood, California / February 4th, 2010
Reviewed by Susan Ferrari
The
Hotel Café is located a few blocks away from the iconic Capitol Records
Tower in Hollywood. During a week when most of the music industry buzz was
about the relative merits of the live performances at the Grammy Awards, it
is nice to see that this comfortable venue for singer / songwriters
continues to thrive, consistently showcasing good music with no added
frills, just a great sound and a studio upright piano.
Holly Conlan’s nine song set on the evening of February 4th, was no exception. Conlan, a Los Angeles native, and her band consisting of; guitarist Phil Krohnengold, bassist Joe Karnes, and drummer / producer Al Sgro, have played this venue regularly for the past year and they casually set up their gear on stage, while the crowd rearranged themselves between acts. As the band members from the previous act left the stage, Ms. Conlan, without any introduction, launched into her first song, as her voice and the piano instantly hushed the noise from the audience. Conlan’s piano accompaniment wove hypnotically through the vocal melody, setting the tone for the rest of the set, before the band joined her for the second song, “OK,” a bouncy tune with an amusingly defiant message. Between songs, Conlan’s banter with the audience and her band mates reinforced the personality that came through her music. There was even a mention of the Grammys, and how she, unlike Pink, would not be doing any acrobatic moves in the show, for it was the music that provided the variety. The band has a nice range of dynamics and serves as a counterpart to the voice and piano alone. Phil Krohnengold’s slide guitar and background vocals were always restrained and tasteful, especially in the beautiful, slow ballad, “Gone,” as the bass lines paired well with the left hand piano part, and the drums had a tight, punchy energy that pushed the beat.
This group of musicians is willing to have fun and experiment with their songs, all of which were written by Holly Conlan, and a playful spirit was evident in “You And Me,” the first track from her 2009 CD Fascinator, which was produced and recorded by Al Sgro. The song features an opening verse which has hand claps as the only form of accompaniment, and when it did not start out the way they had planned, the band did not hesitate to try it again. The second time it worked and guitarist Krohnengold added a little melody with a toy xylophone. For the song “You Are Goodbye,” Krohengold played the accordion and the tune also featured skilful interplay between the bass and the piano.
Holly Conlan brought her set to a close with the song “Beautiful Night,” which is comprised of right hand repeated piano chords and boasts a spunky vocal performance with lyrics such as, “Don’t talk me out of what feels right.” The band turned up the volume during the last guitar solo, finishing with a crescendo that added the perfect punctuation to a satisfying hour of music.
Holly Conlan has a unique personality with a vocal / piano style that suits her well and she has found a band that understands the subtle complexities of her songs. She says in “New Song,” “There’s a new song I want to sing out loud, but you’ll say, honey you’re just too proud.” One gets the impression that she will not let that slow her down.
Photo by Ryan Conlan, protected by copyright ©
February 4th, 2010
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Contributing writer Susan Ferrari is a writer/musician who lives in Los Angeles, CA and Plymouth, MA.
