Michael Doherty's Music Log: Holland Greco at The Thirsty Crow, 12-22-19 Concert Review

Monday, December 23, 2019

Holland Greco at The Thirsty Crow, 12-22-19 Concert Review


Holland Greco performing "Easy Street"

The holidays are upon us, and it’s time to do your best to appear cheerful. Or, if you have a chance to listen to music as good as that performed by Holland Greco, no pretending will be necessary. Yesterday evening Holland put on a special holiday concert at The Thirsty Crow in Silver Lake, and the good cheer flowed freely. This, for me, is what the holidays are all about – music, alcohol, laughter, good people. Yes, the sky was turning grey, as Los Angeles was getting ready to deliver its version of a winter storm, but the vibe was warm and bright inside the venue, and the concert happened before the rain started to fall.

I like The Thirsty Crow. It’s a low-key, relaxed neighborhood place. There aren’t any stage lights, or any stage for that matter, so on a dark day like yesterday, the music happens in a strange sort of twilight, the grey light from the windows providing what illumination it can. However, they changed things up a bit yesterday. Rather than setting up in that corner by the windows, the band performed in that alcove in the back, which is actually one step up from the main floor, so sort of like a stage. Stockings hung above the entrance to the alcove, with names like Rob and Alex and Demetrius and Lysander (well, maybe not the last couple, it was hard to see them all), and some Christmas lights lined the back brick wall, giving it a cozy feel. There is even an old stove at the back of this little room, and the skull inside it kept things from being overly merry, you understand. The tables were removed, and the musicians sat on the padded bench that sort of circled the inside of the room, so that they were facing inward rather than out toward the main room, adding to the cozy atmosphere. Holland soon moved her keyboard to the entrance, however, so that folks would be able to better see her.

This show was part of Princess Frank’s residency at the venue. On Sundays, he does his one-man rock band gig there. Yesterday he backed Holland on drums, and it was great seeing them perform together again. It had been a few years since I had seen them play together. The band yesterday also included Josh Lopez on guitar, and Zak Schaffer on bass, and the music had a delicious jazzy feel, something different for Holland. Also different was the material chosen for the show, which consisted almost entirely of covers – Christmas songs and standards. Yeah, the concert was a rare treat.

At 4:50 p.m., without introductions or anything, Holland Greco counted off the first number, and the band started its set with a wonderful rendition of “As Time Goes By,” a song featured in Casablanca (probably the best film ever made), and one I don’t believe I’d ever heard Holland perform before. It was seriously cool, with Holland delivering a beautiful vocal performance, and Josh playing some nice jazzy stuff on guitar. That was followed by a sweet and pretty version of “The Christmas Song,” written by Robert Wells and Mel Tormé. How could one fail to get into the spirit of the holiday while listening to this performance? Holland then went into “Speak Low,” another wonderful surprise, which featured a romantic-sounding jam, as well as some nice work by Princess Frank on drums, and followed that with “Easy Street,” written by Alan Rankin Jones. This is certainly the jazziest I had ever heard Holland, and it was fantastic. I hope she dips into this material more often. She clearly has the vocal talent needed for these songs, her work rivaling the best versions you’ve heard.

Holland then donned a Santa hat before leading the group into a warm, mellow rendition of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” The rest of the set was made up of Christmas songs, with “Merry Christmas, Darling” following “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” “Merry Christmas, Darling” is a song by The Carpenters. After the show, a woman in the audience told me she thought Holland’s voice had the same strength and appeal as Karen Carpenter’s. “But every day’s a holiday when I’m near to you.” The best Christmas television special is A Charlie Brown Christmas, in large part because of Vince Guaraldi’s music. At this show, Holland performed the beautiful “Christmas Time Is Here,” doing the instrumental version, the only instrumental tune of the evening. Interestingly, rather than performing the lead on keys, she had Josh take the lead on guitar. Josh delivered some excellent work, and this tune also featured some great stuff by Zak on bass.

Holland Greco switched to ukulele for the remainder of the set, beginning with a totally fun rendition of “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” with Princess Frank adding some Christmas bells to his percussion. Holland’s vocal performance here was perhaps the best of the show, a surprise considering some of the excellent material she had nailed earlier. That was followed by that delightful Hawaiian Christmas song, “Mele Kalikimaka,” with Princess Frank again playing those Christmas bells. This one featured nice leads on both guitar and bass. Holland then concluded the set with its sole original number, “Santa’s Magic Trick.” As you might guess, it was a whole lot of fun, totally adorable. And I loved that classic rock and roll guitar part that Josh gave it. What a great way to wrap up the set. Talk about your holiday cheer! The show ended at 5:38 p.m.

Set List