Eulogies at the Hotel Cafe

It was Dangerbird Records night at Hotel Cafe with La Rocca, Eulogies and Ed Laurie. Eulogies was celebrating the release of their new EP Tempted To Do Nothing.

La Rocca




The Baillie brothers of La Rocca played a short but sweet set debuting some tracks from their new album OK Okay. Bjorn Baillie (Vocals/Guitars) was strumming his acoustic guitar and demonstrated his broad vocal range with "Non-Believer" as his brother Simon (Bass) impressively held down the background vocals, foot stomping and the melody driven bass line. Bjorn would later hop over to the piano for "Love Under Key" that resonated well with the attentive Hotel Cafe audience. If they were this good without two members of their band, I will need to check them out with the full line up.

Eulogies





I have reviewed Eulogies four times now and have never been disappointed by any of their sets. The stage was cramped as Eulogies has augmented their line up by adding Drew Phillips (Guitars) for another shade of sound. Tempted To Do Nothing is their new four song EP that is available as an awesome vinydisc that is a combination of analog(Vinyl) and digital(CD).

Eulogies exceeded the usual decibel levels at Hotel Cafe with a fully plugged in set. Peter Walker (Guitars/Vocals) led the charge with "Bad Connection" off their new EP as he played his Gibson hollowbody guitar plugged into an Orange amplifier. A few tracks from their debut album were mixed into the set as I enjoyed "Running In The Rain" and the jangling guitars of "Life Boat". The strategic wandering guitars of "Is There Anyone Here?" meshed well with Peter's lyrical content. Eulogies is heading out for a couple of shows back east for CMJ.

Ed Laurie





Having recently seen Jose Gonzalez and his nylon string guitar wizardry, I didn't know if Ed Laurie could measure up. I quickly realized that Ed is in a class by himself with his earnest heart revealing sincerity. Meanwhile In The Park is Ed's latest album and "Julia" was captivating as his songs fit the mood of Hotel Cafe. "Down To The Sea" made you forget about his nimble guitar work as Ed's voice pulled in the audience. There was a cone of silence after Ed finished his set because everyone seemed speechless. Dangerbird Records has a lot of good things going for them.

Peter Morén at the Hotel Cafe

Peter, Bjorn and John played all over the world touring for their album "Writer's Block". I caught a few of those shows at House of Blues San Diego, Wiltern, Henry Fonda and a memorable acoustic set at Fingerprints records. Peter Morén managed to find some time between touring to make a solo record "The Last Tycoon" that will be soon released on Quarterstick records.

Big Search




Big Search opened the evening with their tender acoustic ballads. Big Search is fronted by Matt Popieluch whom you may recognize from Foreign Born. I covered Foreign born a few times when I saw them at Little Radio and the Troubadour. Matt also joined Cass Mccombs when they toured with Peter, Bjorn and John. Matt effortlessly worked through some intriguing indie folkish material with his trademark Martin guitar. I was impressed with Matt's set and was unable to find any merchandise to buy but recommend you drop by their Myspace page for a listen. I will be catching Matt with Foreign Born in a few weeks when they open for St. Vincent.

Peter Morén




Peter Morén took the tiny Hotel Cafe stage by himself before breaking into song. It was interesting to note Bjorn and John were seated at a table close by cheering their bandmate on. Peter looked extremely comfortable and was his usual affable self as he described the background of a few of his songs in a VH1's storytellers format. "Twisted" was a fine example of Peter's songwriting abilities as he carefully carved out a miniature story. Peter was later joined by a string trio to provide a cinematic effect to the songs."Reel To Real" showcased Peter's guitar playing skills as he spun another story worthy of being on a major motion picture soundtrack. "La Petite Coeur" was one of the many high points of the night as the crowd raptly took in Peter's performance. The soaring strings behind the song combined nicely with Peter's mixture of singing in French and English. Peter would later grab his 1972 custom Fender Telecaster that he proudly mentioned he purchased at Guitar Center. I had suspected that Bjorn and John might have jumped up on stage to perform a song, but in the end it was truly Peter's time to shine.